Make Peace With Your Own
by Craniax
Summary: Having survived Zeref's blast, Zancrow seeks out those who have wronged him. But his plans for revenge get complicated after Acnologia devastates Tenrou. A remnant from Fairy Sphere helps him survive the Dragon Roar but is forced to wait seven years before he can get his hands on Fairy Tail. His journey will help atone for his mistakes, find love, and teach him the power of family.
1. 7 Year Time Skip: Death and Rebirth

Before reading, there will be a Zancrow and Erza pairing. Zancrow will have other lovers as well but Zancrow/Erza will be the main focus. If you don't like the pairing I strongly suggest you do not read this story.

* * *

 **CH1: Death and Rebirth**

Zancrow discovered Ultear and Meredy's betrayal, and he was furious. After little struggle, the God Slayer managed to take possession of the Black Wizard Zeref, whom his treacherous guildmates planned on kidnapping and using for their own ends. Zancrow couldn't fathom the reasons for their betrayal but nonetheless, there was no justification for turning on Grimoire Heart. He was going to vaporize both Ultear and Meredy. That was the plan had the not awakened in that moment. Zancrow saw the wizard's eyes open and as his black magic engulfed him, he felt nothing. Zancrow's senses died and his body collapsed on the ground. Everything came back to him during his last moments of reminiscence; His loss to Natsu, Ultear and Meredy's betrayal, his imminent death. Being hit with Zeref's black magic, darkness was the only thing overcoming the God Slayer's vision. His body became limp, his pigment was fading, and with his dying breath he uttered the words,

'I don't want to die…'

With those final thoughts, Zancrow lost consciousness.

…

Time went on. How long had it been, minutes, hours?

It was cold, windy, and Tenrou Island was in a chaotic state due to the war between Fairy Tail and Grimoire Heart. As his awareness slowly settled in, Zancrow could feel the rain pouring down on his body. He was still laying on the ground, weak, beaten, and humiliated.

"What happened?" he thought.

The God Slayer's eyes opened and he slowly propped himself up and looked around. That's when he saw death all around him. The grass was withered and grey while the trees were black as coal, naked and lifeless. As Zancrow got on his feet, he saw the world spin as his vision came back into focus. He was weak and off balance but at least he was alive. He stared in disbelief at his arms as color slowly came back to his once lifeless body. Just as the pigmentation of his skin returned, so did his memories. He remembered all of it. His defeat to Natsu and Makarov, Ultear and Meredy's betrayal, and Zeref's magic.

"Natsu!" Zancrow spit his name out with distaste as he punched a nearby tree.

"That Dragon Hunter will get what's coming to him! Ultear and Meredy will be dealt with as well. We don't need traitors in our guild. I will make sure that they regret the day they crossed me, all of them! And as for Zeref…," Zancrow trailed off as he remembered when the black wizard gave him a one-way ticket to oblivion. At that moment, a wave of reality crashed down upon the God Slayer as he swallowed his pride and admitted the cold truth, "I should be dead."

Zancrow had no idea how he survived his encounter with the black wizard. As far as he knew, anyone hit with a level of magic that powerful should not only die, but STAY dead. He looked toward the ravine where he last saw Meredy. How dare she, the single person which he had trusted the most had betrayed the guild that raised him. She betrayed him. As a result, Zancrow died, or so everyone believed surely.

"I wonder how much has happened since my… passing?" Regaining his composure Zancrow started wandering towards Grimoire Heart's airship. He made his way out of the forest and through a meadow towards the beach where the base was stationed at. "Who do those two think they are, betraying the very guild that practically raised them?" He made his way to a steep cliff and was shocked at the sight before him. He slid down towards the beach and hurried to the once proud airship of Grimoire Heart which was now in ruins. He saw a makeshift bridge of ice leading to the upper deck of the ship as well as a "homemade" door which lead to the interior of the hull. The inside of the airship looked as if an army had stripped it of its once proud glory. The deck was splintered and the helm bearing the Grimoire Heart crest was shattered. It was as if a small war had taken place within his home. "Fairy Tail," he said with a dangerous tone of voice. "How dare they."

He tried to piece things together. His battle with Natsu was short as was his encounter with his two female guildmates and a certain dark mage. Overall at that point he must have been on the ground no longer than an hour. How long had he been unconscious? He sensed no magic energy coming from within his destroyed guildhall nor could he feel any of his guildmates magic power. "Am I the only survivor? No way an incompetent guild such as Fairy Tail could take out our big guns. I can understand them taking down Kawazu or Yomazu, they were always the weak links… but Bluenote and Azuma… have they been defeated as well?"

What about their mission? Without Zeref, there would be no new world order. It was the perfect world envisioned by Master Hades where Grimoire Heart would reign supreme and unchallenged. Any hope of that world coming to pass is gone now without Zeref. "What a joke, being defeated by fairies. I'll tear them apart one at a time if I have to, as soon as I settle the score with Nat..."

(Acnologia Roar)

Zancrow covered his ears, it was all he could do to shield himself from the earthshattering roar emitted from the sky. Zancrow emerged abovedeck from his airship when he was then engulfed in a shadow approximately three times the size as his guildhall. He stared in disbelief towards the heavens as he was a black scaled flying beast hundreds of meters above him. He seemed to be dropping altitude as he flew towards the opposite side of the island. "This…is impossible. I thought dragons were extinct! Where did it come from? First Natsu, then Zeref, and now an ACTUAL dragon? This day couldn't possibly get any worse." As Acnologia headed inland he roared again this time tearing trees up from their roots and shattering boulders nearby.

"Maybe dragon breath was telling the truth after all, having a dragon for a father."

The God Slayer deduced the dragon was looking for someone, or some guild which is why it was heading toward the center of the island. "Fairy Tail," he smirked. "If I follow lizard lips, he should take me directly to the fairies so that I may exact my revenge."

The God Slayer had been looking around the island for awhile and he was getting impatient.

"How could a beast like that simply disappear," Zancrow exclaimed clearly annoyed. "I could have found Fairy Tail by now, but noooo, that stupid scaly lizard had to pull a disappearing act on me and leave me without a guide.

(BOOM)

That's when he saw it, a huge explosion of magic energy and a mountain crumbling down. "Found you," Zancrow said slyly as he darted towards the ruckus. "No dragon is going to beat me to the punch. I will repay Natsu for handing me my ass earlier and payback Fairy Tail for destroying my guild! I will take them all…

(Rumble)

"What the?"

(BOOM)

Zancrow was toppled down due to the shaking earth and he was astonished to see Acnologia rise from the mountain that just collapsed onto him. He could have sworn he saw a smirk on the dragon's face but decided not to think anything of it. He got back up and peered from the cliff which he was on. He looked down and was surprised by what he saw. He saw Natsu and the wind dragon slayer that was with him during their battle, and some riveted faced wizard on the ground out of breath. Not too far from them he saw a muscular blonde man with a lightning bolt scar across his face. "He must be their heavy hitter," he thought. Overall, all Zancrow could see below was a beaten, exhausted guild. "Damn, they must have given that dragon everything they had and still, it took to the sky unshaken."

He looked towards the sky as it became several shades brighter, and that's when he saw the dragon charging up its breath attack. Zancrow then heard the wizard named Cana, "Is going to try to wipe out the whole island?"

"It can do that," Zancrow exclaimed. All he wanted to do was even the score between him and Fairy Tail. But Zancrow failed to realize that in pursuing that goal, he could lose his life again. He felt the magic power generated from the beast in the air. Waves were crashing down on the beach and mountains shook as the lizard reached the pinnacle of his power. He then thought back to his fight against Natsu, and his encounter with Ultear, Meredy, and the black wizard. "I can't die… I have so much payback to collect! That dragon may be powerful, but it is after all just a dragon, and I am a God Slayer, born to take down gods. That dragon has nothing on me!" Zancrow stood firm and maintained a confident composure. But deep down, he knew his power was nonexistent compared to Acnologia. That wasn't going to keep him from going down without a fight.

Hesitantly he began to power up, his black flames engulfed him as he began to shake the earth around him. Suddenly he felt a surge of power. But it wasn't coming from him, nor from the dragon. He looked down again at the beach Fairy Tail gathered in and saw them all, in a circle. It was as if they were channeling their power for one last attempt to save themselves. Radiating white light emanated from their formation that almost felt as if it rivaled the power of the dragon. Zancrow didn't care what they were doing. He was going to take down the dragon himself.

"First the dragon, then the rest of them…"

He put his hands together and began reciting his incantation. "I ask to scorch all from the far west to the far east, o Wrath of God!" Zancrow's attack reached its pinacle and he let loose upon the overgrown lizard. "Flame God, Kagutsuchi!"

His attack skyrocketed toward the flying beast as Acnologia released his breath attack towards the island.

Zancrow could feel it… the overwhelming power of the dragon overriding his own. It countered his black flame attack like it was nonexistent and hurled itself closer to the shore where Fairy Tail was making their last stand.

Zancrow collapsed on the grass exhausted. He barely could stay conscious due to the amount of magic power he unleashed. "Damn, I put all my power into that attack… and nothing. No wonder I lost to Natsu… I can't even take down one stinking dragon."

He closed his eyes and reminisced. Before all this madness his guild was the most powerful in the Balam Alliance. Every mission they went on they were successful until this one. And he was undefeated in regard to hand to hand combat… until he crossed paths with the Dragon Slayer.

"Natsu…"

The God Slayer thought about his relationship with Meredy and how much it hurt to find out she had betrayed the guild that raised him… and her. He remembered Master Hades saying that this mission shouldn't take long, only to find out that his entire guild, even the elite, have been defeated.

"Fairy Tail…"

He mustered up whatever strength he could. It was hard enough just to keep from fading into the black from exhaustion. "I won't let it end like this," Zancrow outstretched his hand towards the sky rebuking Acnologia. "I refuse to die again," he shouted.

The blast neared its collision with the island and the God Slayer braced himself for the tremors and volcanic heat that dragon breath was rumored to bear. But it never came. Instead he felt himself surrounded by something warm, almost like a blanket. He saw himself covered in a flicker of bright white light. But it was nothing compared to the source where it was coming from. Zancrow made effort to look at the beach where Fairy Tail last stood. He couldn't see anything, it was like staring in the face of one thousand suns. It was blinding but he couldn't look away. All he heard was one final incantation from his hated enemy.

"Fairy Sphere!"

As the dragon roar collided with Tenrou Island, Zancrow lost consciousness.


	2. 7 Year Time Skip: Castaway

**CH2: Castaway**

The seemingly lifeless form of the God Slayer washed up on the beach. As Zancrow became self-aware again, he could hear the waves crashing on the shore and the wind sifting through the palm trees. The smell of the sea helped Zancrow fully regain consciousness, but not his strength. He dragged himself facedown from the water onto the beach and turned himself face up towards the sky.

"Natsu, Meredy, and a freaking dragon. What else could ruin my day today?"

He used his outstretched arm to block the sun from his eyes only to notice he had several burns on his arms and his clothes were scorched as well.

"What the hell happened?"

He remembered Tenrou Island and how Acnologia managed to obliterate him and the entire Fairy Tail guild.

"How ironic, that a Flame God Slayer can indeed be burned," he thought.

He felt the wet sand beneath his body and heard the waves crashing on the shore while seagulls squawked overhead. He got up and scanned his surroundings. "Where am I," he asked himself. He remembered being enveloped in a flash of light just before Acnologia's attack vaporized the island. And now he was in a small cove miles away from the warzone he was just on.

The beach was composed of sand spliced together with small seashells and smooth pebbles. Over to the east he could see a small dock with fishing nets hung up for the day. "I guess this cove is used frequently which means its near civilization." The sun was setting over the ocean and Zancrow deduced that he was out for at least several hours. With nightfall approaching, the God Slayer marched up a makeshift trail which was cruelly made with gravel and small stones. He trudged onward up the trail until he came up to what looked like a main traveling road. He could barely make out the carriage tracks in the dirt due to the dark. He had no idea in which direction to head in so he chose to walk in the direction of the moon.

"How is it that I survived while the rest of the island was completely disintegrated?" Zancrow trudged along the road in the early night contemplating all that had happened. "Unless… I'm not the only survivor. Surely if I'm alive due to a flicker of light… the others must have survived as well with the goddamn source of light practically at their center."

Zancrow figured he would have to get his bearings by eventually making his way to town, and finding some sort of map to make heads or tails out of. Perhaps he would spend the night at a local inn so that he may recover from his many near death experiences. Perhaps he would even buy some new garments to replace the ones burned by that damn lizard.

Zancrow walked for what seemed like hours, but he finally made it to civilization. 'Welcome to Hargeon Town' the sign read.

"Hargeon Town… isn't that in Fiore," Zancrow pondered. "That stupid dragon blasted me across the ocean and half the goddamn continent!"

He eventually found an inn that he deemed worthy of housing a God Slayer such as himself and got the biggest room that was available for no charge. How did he manage that? He "persuaded" the inn keeper in his own manner and got the bargain of his life.

The room he was placed in had marvelous white marble floors and had a dining room, two king size beds, and among other things, a bathtub the size of a small pool. "This place looks like it would cost an arm and a leg to stay if I was an average person. However I am anything but average," Zancrow chuckled to himself. After a much-needed shower, he jumped into bed and passed out for the night.

…

The next morning Zancrow woke up feeling better and refreshed. He marched down the stairs of the inn and made his way to the dining room which had no food served whatsoever. "Hmph, what lousy service. The sign says 'breakfast ready at dawn.'" He made his way to the kitchen and after cooking up a storm of half a dozen eggs, a package of bacon, and an army of pancakes, he ate to his heart's content.

When he finished he made his way down the main hall, surprised that there was no one else in the inn. No other customers, no attendants, even the cute receptionist he talked to last night seemed to have disappeared. Once he stepped out the front entrance, he was greeted by a bright sun, nice ocean air, and a squad of anti-magic soldiers armed and ready to take him down.

"That's him sir, the one who threatened me last night!"

Zancrow peered through the ranks of the squad and saw the inn keeper talking to the man who seemed to oversee this small brigade of soldiers.

"Are you the one who threatened this gentleman last night?" the officer asked.

"What if I am?" Zancrows sarcastic tone immediately got on the bad side of the officer as he began to lose his calm composure.

"Then I'm afraid I will place you under arrest for verbal assault and not paying what you owe to this fine establishment."

If Zancrow was going to have a peaceful day of errands, he would have to lose the soldiers or at least get them off his case. He could easily incinerate all of them, but that would only draw more unwanted attention to himself. If he was on the run from the government as a labeled criminal, it would make it that much harder for him to exact his vengeance on Fairy Tail.

"I asked that gentleman for a room but he denied me service since I had no money at the time."

"As the establishments owner, he has every right to deny service to anyone, especially those who possess no funds." The commander retorted.

'This guys is a douche bag.' Zancrow thought. "That's just it, I do have money. But I've been out on a job on behalf of my guild and refuse to carry ridiculous amounts of money with me as I travel. I told him my guild would take care of any expenses I amass during my stay but still he denied me service. I tried to talk some sense into him but then he started mouthing off at me and threatened to have me thrown out. So being exhausted from my quest I "persuaded" him for the best room he had and made myself at home. If he wants to file charges for threats, I would like to counter those charges with discrimination, verbal assault, and harassment."

The inn keeper immediately started mouthing off calling the God Slayer a liar and how he feared for his life which is why he called for the soldiers.

The officer was tired of the "he said she said" and finally told the inn keeper to shut up. He asked the God Slayer, "What guild are you with?"

Zancrow smirked and retorted, "Why I'm with Fairy Tail of course. I recently finished a job off the coast of Fiore and have since been traveling back to my guild hall."

Both the officer and the inn keeper's composures seemed to have calmed down when he stated this so obvious lie. But Fairy Tail was known for saving the day more than once. The whole Lullaby scandal orchestrated by the dark guild Eisenwald, the Tower of Heaven plot conjured up by Jellal, and Nirvana utilized by the Oraceon Seis, were all taken down by Fairy Tail.

After clearing out the accusations from both parties, arrangements were made to bill Fairy Tail and the inn keeper apologized to Zancrow most likely out of fear. After all, everyone has heard of how powerful wizards from Fairy Tail are. And you simply do not argue with a member of a guild that powerful. Besides, their reputation as honest daring do-gooders precedes them. It's no wonder the magic council soldiers and the inn keeper dropped their guard the moment Zancrow mentioned them.

After his setback in the morning, Zancrow finally made his way downtown. His main priority was to replace his tattered clothing as well as to find a map to make his way to eastern Fiore where the Fairy Tail guildhall resides. He looked around several stores all of which had nothing he really could see himself wearing. He eventually found a privately-owned shop where he did see a better selection of clothing. He went through several robes until he finally found one he liked. It resembled his old robe except the back was slit like a trench coat and opened like one too toward the front. The top part of the robe covered only his left shoulder like his previous attire exposing his muscular chest and a few of his abdominal muscles. "This will most certainly do," he stated cockily.

He found a black sash he wrapped around his waist that kept his new robe from unraveling and bought new pants which were not as bulgy as his last pair. His final acquired asset was a pair of leather boots that made him look an inch taller. He looked in the fitting room mirror and declared himself the sexiest God Slayer in all of Fiore.

He also managed to find some gauntlets which supposedly amplified magic power by a small percentage but he mainly got them because they looked badass. He also wanted the shoulder guard that was on display in the armor section of the shop. He Told the cashier to make the bill out to Fairy Tail.

Zancrow left the shop. A newly attired, changed man. He had a set goal, and now that he was recovered and reequipped, he would accomplish it. "I'll find them. It may not be today, nor tomorrow, but eventually I will find you and even the score, Fairy Tail."


	3. 7 Year Time Skip: Path to Righteousness

**CH3: Path to Righteousness**

Zancrow had been traveling for most of the day coming across many strange sights along the way.

He saw a carriage heist by some people who called themselves Sylph Labyrinth.

"What a bunch of losers. Did they not see the royal crest on the side of the carriage?" Zancrow asked himself.

Although there were only a couple of soldiers guarding it, it took down the guild in a heartbeat.

"They should have known that royal transports only have the elite protecting them. Rank amateurs." Zancrow thought as he walked away while the guild was arrested.

He later saw a small bank robbery in one of the towns he stopped to eat in by three individuals in skin tight leotards. He almost choked on his food as he laughed for what seemed like hours. He overheard their leader say something about all the loot they managed to take while being chased by a squad of royal guards. What a peculiar name they had. The 'Butt Jiggle' something. Zancrow could not believe the level of incompetence small time crooks had in these towns.

He had several laughs throughout his journey to the Fairy Tail Guild hall. But what he recently stumbled across had him debate a moral issue. He was in the outskirts of a City called Magnolia. Supposedly this was where Fairy Tail was harbored in. What he saw was a young female wizard fighting against a larger group of wizards. The girl was thinly built with purple hair wrapped in a ponytail which made its way down to her mid back. She also was wearing glasses…

"I hate glasses," Zancrow thought.

He watched as she held her own against the six hooligans that decided to fight her for unknow reasons. She seemed to be fighting utilizing wood make magic. In a way he reminded him of Azuma.

"Her fight is not my concern." As Zancrow turned around and started to make his way towards the Magnolia gate…

(BOOM)

Next thing he knew, there was a crater not five feet away from him. Inside that crater was a now scorched purple haired wizard, embedded into the ground. Her clothes were severely burned exposing her stomach and a major part of her cleavage.

'She looks knocked out,' he thought. He then noticed a guild mark on her left love handle. "Fairy Tail." He looked at it wide eyed.

'If I help her out, she can put in a good word for me. You are one clever devil Zancrow,' he thought.

"The hell are you looking at!"

Zancrow snapped out of his daze and looked up to see an ill-mannered wizard with a face only a mother could love glaring right at him.

"Yea I'm talking to you. What's your problem?" he continued.

Zancrow lost it at that point and he couldn't keep in his laughter any longer. "HAHAHAHA, does it seriously take six of you losers to take down one defenseless girl? I'm starting to think your magic power has nothing more than the sole purpose to compensate for something you all lack."

"What did you just say to us?" the supposed leader asked. "You do not address Twilight Ogre in that manner! We are one of the strongest guilds in Fiore and we will kick your ass like we did hers."

Zancrow decided to piss them off even more. "You definitely got the ogre part right. I mean look at all of you. You all have faces that a dragon ate and shit out. HAHAHA. And as for your strength, well, that remains to be seen," Zancrow smirked, daring them to provoke him. "If you think you can take me down, give it your best shot." Zancrow got into his battle stance and began to power up. Immediately black flames manifested themselves in his proximity and he began to shake the earth around him.

He saw how the band of Twilight Ogre members looked uneasy. It was almost as if they immediately regretted threatening the God Slayer.

"I will teach you all to pick on defenseless girls." He saw two of the members huddled together while the other four including the leader did the smarter thing and ran the opposite way. Zancrow inhaled as much as he could, "FLAME GOD BELLOW," and unleashed his attack upon the wizards.

What followed was an even bigger BOOM than the one made by the leader of Twilight Ogre. After all, Zancrow was one of Grimoire Heart's Seven Kin of Purgatory. He did not earn that title by being weak. When the smoke cleared, the aftermath of what he saw gave him nothing but delight. All six members were knocked out cold on the ground with their clothes burned even worse than their female victim. At this point they might as well have been wearing speedos and bras for it would have covered more than what they were wearing now. "It's good to be bad, HEHEHE," Zancrow chuckled to himself.

He then picked up the injured Fairy Tail guild member bridal style and decided to carry her to a healer within Magnolia Town. Zancrow knew that the gods must be smiling down upon him. This burst of luck, running into and saving a Fairy Tail guild member was just what he needed. Trust would immediately be formed making his revenge that much easier to fulfill.

…

Zancrow was appalled. He decided to go to a supposed well known healer in the outskirts of town. What he didn't know was that the girl he had saved was a "two-man" job. So of course, the healer asked Zancrow to help him out. The girls stomach was severely burned as was the section underneath each of her individual breasts. The healer asked Zancrow to hold them up so that he may spread the burn healing tonic without "those massive things" getting in the way. Here was Zancrow, a Black Flame God Slayer, supporting two massive breasts on a girl he didn't even know. Under normal circumstances Zancrow would have been thrilled to be playing with breasts this size. But since nothing else was happening he decided this was not worth his time.

"My vengeance better be worth it if I have to go through this," the God Slayer Mumbled to himself.

"Did you say something?" the healer asked.

"No! Nothing. Well yes actually, hurry the hell up!" Zancrow shouted with as much bravado as he could.

The procedure went smoothly but lasted too long for Zancrow's taste. The worse part was when the girl finally decided to wake up towards the end. She looked groggy like she just woke up from a nap undoubtedly confused to where she was at. Needless to say, the grogginess wore off in a flash once she realized she was topless and had a pair of male hands on her breasts. Chaos ensued for the next few minutes as the young female wizard chased the God Slayer around the healer's facility with a wooden club she seemingly pulled out of thin air. Chasing her was the healer trying to explain that Zancrow was only trying to help. When the wizard finally calmed down Zancrow collapsed on the floor in exhaustion.

"You crazy bitch! I saved you from those Twilight Ogre guild members, carried you all the way here so that you may get medical attention, and this is how you repay me?" Zancrow had a few lumps on his head marking the spots which the female wizard did manage to introduce her club to. The healer finally explained everything to her on why there was a "creepy blonde man" groping her when she came to. She apologized to Zancrow immediately.

"I'm so sorry mister Zancrow, please forgive me!" She even gave him a little bow to show that she was seriously sorry.

Zancrow cringed in annoyance and merely responded with, "Put some clothes on."

Realizing that her breasts were still fully exposed, she ran with embarrassment back to the healer's examination room.

After some looking around, the healer brought her a gown he provided for all his patients. The wizard put it on immediately and introduced herself as Laki, a wood make magical wizard. She instructed the healer to bill her guild Fairy Tail and then she and Zancrow made their way outside.

"I'm sorry again, for bashing your head in without realizing what was going on," Laki said sheepishly.

"If I was a girl I would have killed anyone grabbing my breasts regardless what the situation was. And incidentally, you're welcome," Zancrow retorted. "What did you do to piss those guys off anyway?"

"The leader of the group kept hitting on me so I punched him in the face." She said bluntly. "That's when I realized that he had more than one guild member with him at the restaurant I was at. You see, I was returning from a job that I had completed and just wanted to grab a bite to eat. That was the most dangerous meal I had ever eaten from the looks of how we ended up. HAHA."

Zancrow couldn't help but chuckle at that last remark.

They both made their way downtown and after a quick shopping trip to replace Laki's patient gown, she finally gave him an opening.

"So what brings you to Magnolia Zancrow?"

'This is it,' he thought. "I have been traveling Fiore for sometime now and have been wanting to make Fairy Tail's acquaintance. I hear a lot of good things about their work and reputation and have decided to see if I can join them. Think you can put in a good word for me?" Zancrow winked.

"Master Makarov will most likely admit you into the guild. I mean you did save one of his favorites today after all," she said whilst pointing to herself. "Any traveler who goes out of his way to protect anybody is immediately appreciated especially by our guild. You see, within our guild, we are all family. No matter what happens, when one of us gets into trouble, Fairy Tail members always have each other's backs. We are after all, one big happy family."

Zancrow felt as if he was going to puke. Family, Teamwork? He couldn't help but remember what Makarov had told him back on Tenrou Island as he was being crushed by his giant form.

" _You have no idea, the power of family!"_

Zancrow grit his teeth in anger. 'I may not know about family old man, but your "favorite" is about to admit me into your guild that Grimoire Heart once tried to take down. I will burn it to the ground from the inside laying waste to your precious family. And then, when you, Natsu and the other come back from whatever godforsaken place you ended up in, I will kill you all in one blow.'

The hand he was gripping tightly was all of a sudden surrounded by Laki's. "You alright Zancrow?"

The God Slayer snapped out of his state of mind and smiled at her. "Oh, of course. I just don't have much experience with family."

Laki sent him a smile that reminded him a lot of Meredy's. "Once you're in Fairy Tail, you will have all the experience you need Zancrow." They continued walking down the road not paying attention to the fact that she was still holding his hand. They turned a final corner, and with wide eyes Zancrow gawked at the size of a certain guildhall that was right in front of him.

Laki smiled once again. "Welcome to Fairy Tail."


	4. 7 Year Time Skip : From the Inside

**CH4: From the Inside**

When he was first brought to the guild by Laki, he was greeted by an underwhelming force of wizards. It was comprised of a western couple named Alzack and Bisca, a sand wizard named Max, and a couple of misfits named Jet and Droy. "This is Fairy Tail?" he stated blankly.

"I know we look shorthanded right now, but most of our guild including master Makarov are currently on Tenrou Island. This is the time of year we hold the S-class wizard test to determine who will be granted S-class status." Laki responded matter of factly.

"Majority is correct." Zancrow mumbled. He looked around the massive guildhall which currently hosted only a handful of wizards. He then took notice of the bartender whose hair was a darker shade of purple than Laki's. Her name was Kinana and she looked a little young to be in a guild, much less serve alcoholic beverages.

"Hey Laki. How was the job?"

Zancrow located the source of the inane banter and saw a blue haired man in a white coat walking towards them with what appeared to be a buddy of his. His buddy was wearing a pansy ass green Hawaiian shirt with flowers on it smoking a pipe.

"Oh hey Macao. The job went well. There were however some difficulties getting home however." Laki said sheepishly.

She then went on to explain about her encounter with Twilight Ogre and how if it were not for Zancrow, she would have lost her life, or at least her dignity.

"Yea that guild has become more powerful over the years. They even got their guildhall to be relocated here in magnolia giving us some competition job wise." The smoker commented. His name was Wakaba and he seemed to have no manners when it came to smoking in front of guests.

Macao sensed Zancrow's uneasiness and reassured him that anyone who saves one of their own is welcome to join.

"We just need to get Makarov's approval. Like Laki said, he currently is away on Fairy Tail business but he should be back as soon as the S-class trials are over." Macao Explained. "For now Laki will show you around the guild hall, and if you are serious about joining, we may make an exception and let you crash here if you have no place else to go."

Zancrow thanked the guild for their kindness and allowed Laki to show him around. "This is just what I need. A tour of the enemy's base for later exploitation." He grinned evilly.

The tour lasted about twenty minutes. In that time, he had visited the rec area, the kitchen, the food court, the upper food court, and eventually the living accommodations. Laki explained to the God Slayer that their old guildhall used to be smaller but was destroyed when Phantom Lord declared war on them. Since then, they won the war and rebuilt their guildhall to be better than ever.

"Phantom Lord. I remember hearing about them in the papers. They were one of the most powerful guilds in earth land. Didn't they bring their own guildhall right to your doorstep?" Zancrow asked.

"They did. The purpose was to obliterate our guild with one blast from their Jupiter cannon. But Erza managed to block the first shot while Natsu, and several others from our guild dismantled the weapon from the inside." Laki explained. "After the whole ordeal, Makarov kicked master Jose's ass and the guild was dismantled."

Natsu. Zancrow couldn't help but be infuriated at the mere mention of his name. Oh, how he couldn't wait to mop the floor when he saw him again. "It seems Natsu must be pretty powerful to be able to dismantle such a weapon."

"He is, but he is not the strongest in our guild. That honor goes to Gildarts. He's the most powerful wizard in Fairy Tail. And of course, there are others that are pretty powerful as well. Laxus, Mirajane, Erza, Grey…"

"Erza? That's the second time you have mentioned her. What's so great about Erza?" Zancrow asked impatiently.

Laki shot Zancrow a look that he swore reflected a hint of jealousy. "She's only the quickest reequipping wizard in all of Fiore. She has a suit of armor for every situation that may present itself."

'I didn't realize there were so many wizards with power greater than Natsu. If I am to serve this guild a course of revenge, I need to become stronger myself. I don't know how long it will take for them to find their way back here. But until then, I will train myself to death if necessary to be a force to be reckoned with.' Zancrow could see himself kicking all of Fairy Tail's asses in a heartbeat. He just needed to put in the necessary effort to hone his skills.

"So," Laki said nervously, "these are the living accommodations."

Zancrow looked around the room. There were literally rows of beds next to each other with a nightstand separating each one so that the individual sleeping there would have their own personal space. Zancrow was used to bigger beds. His bed aboard the Grimoire Heart airship was custom made. Capable of bedding up to eight women plus himself and leave room for a couple dozen pillows. "These beds are kind of small…" he trailed off.

Laki saw her own opportunity and with her smooth talk she asked "would you rather stay with me? I could be good company and my bed is much bigger than this." She gave him her signature smile.

Hell, if her bed was bigger than these he couldn't complain. He made eye contact with her and saw what was unmistakable for lust. If he went with her to her living quarters, he might not get any sleep tonight. However, anything was better than sleeping in a bed the size of a small park bench. Zancrow sighed, and agreed to go with the wood make wizard.

Immediately Laki blushed and said she just needed to grab a job offer before they left. After that Zancrow was led to Laki's apartment, where no sleeping would be done that night.


	5. 7 Year Time Skip : Bedtime Activities

**CH5: Bedtime Activities**

Zancrow lost track of how many places they did it. Almost immediately as soon as they got to Laki's apartment, clothes went flying. They did it on the stairs, in her kitchen, even in the bathtub which ordinarily would only fit one person. Eventually they made their way to Laki's bed and Zancrow let loose. He ravaged her most of the night and when they were finally done, the apartment was a mess. Furniture was knocked over, the bedsheets were ruined, and the tub was overflowing because they forgot the faucet was on. Once they finished their bedtime activities, they both passed out.

…

Morning arrived and Zancrow was the second to wake up. He could tell since the left side of the bed was empty and most of the bedroom furniture was now picked up back where it belonged. 'I have not had sex that great since I split with Meredy.' the God Slayer thought. He went on a scavenger hunt for his clothes around the apartment and eventually got dressed. He looked around for Laki but it appeared she had stepped out. The living room was back in order and the water that overflowed from the tub was gone. 'That girl is a neat freak when it doesn't come to bedtime activities.' Zancrow chuckled to himself.

A half hour went by and the God Slayer became bored. "Where the hell is she?" he cried out in annoyance. "Am I just supposed to keep myself occupied for the whole day while she's out doing hell knows what?"

Then he heard the front door close. 'Finally she's back.' Zancrow made his way to the corridor to see Laki carrying some groceries.

"If you just got up you are very lazy." Laki scolded.

"I've been up for about an hour now. Where have you been woman?"

"I went to get some food. We're going to need the energy soon." She responded

"Oh," Zancrow asked, "Up for round two already huh?" Zancrow said with ecstasy in his voice.

"For the record, what happened last night was for saving my life yesterday, and because you're hot. It won't happen again unless I want it to. Got it?"

Zancrow saw through her façade easily. It was no help to Laki that her face was as red as a tomato at this point.

"So your ready now then," Zancrow teased.

Laki rolled her eyes and shoved a paper in Zancrow's face. "This is why we are going to need the energy." She said.

The paper was a job offer, the one she probably snatched from the guildhall before they left last night. This was a monster hunter job. Apparently, some beast has been tearing up crops two towns away and the townspeople have not had any luck getting rid of it.

"Oh, brining backup this time huh?"

"Actually jobs are no problem for me. I just figured I could get you some firsthand experience as a future Fairy Tail Wizard." She winked.

"Makes sense I guess." Zancrow said.

They ate to their hearts content and after some messing around, they finally went to complete the job offer. Unbeknownst to Zancrow at the time, Fairy Tail had already begun to transform him into a better wizard.


	6. 7 Year Time Skip : Purpose

**CH6: Purpose**

About two months have passed since Grimoire Heart's assault on Tenrou Island. During that time, Macao had been appointed master of Fairy Tail due to Makarov's extended absence. This of course led to the initiation of Zancrow into the Guild. He wasn't too happy of joining the ones responsible for wiping out his old family, but he figured he might as well stick around to see whether the rest of the wizards had survived Acnologia's dragon roar.

With about half their members missing, Fairy Tail became the target of many other guilds. One tormentor in particular was called Twilight Ogre, home to many barbarians. Both Zancrow and Laki had a run in with them when they first met but they were no match for the God Slayer. Since then however, word got back to Twilight Ogre, and they made it their priority to harass Fairy Tail whenever possible.

It did not take long for Zancrow and Laki's relationship to become plutonic with an occasional fling here and there. However once Zancrow knew more about job offers and their rewards, he would take the ones that offered the most money and take off days at a time leaving no room for mingling. Now that he had experience with these jobs, he could do anything solo. He was a God Slayer after all.

The first time the God Slayer was out doing a long solo mission, the rival guild Twilight Ogre paid a visit to Fairy Tail. They destroyed the inside of their guildhall and although no heinous crimes were committed, the weaker wizards were becoming more discouraged.

After a long trip back home to Magnolia, Zancrow was expecting a feast. He had just completed a one week job where he had to protect royal cargo from looters and thieves. Upon returning home, Zancrow was surprised, and extremely pissed. He was tired, hungry, and in desperate need of a bath, but nothing made the God Slayer angrier than arriving from a hard, exhausting job, only to find the inside of his guildhall turned upside down. Barstools somehow ended up in the sleeping accommodations area, drinks were spilled all over the floor, and his favorite chair was smashed. Zancrow was on fire, he was so angry.

Macao explained how a rival guild came while he was out on the job and roughed them up a bit. The actual attack happened just a few days before Zancrow's arrival. But the damage to their guildhall was so extensive that even after non-stop cleaning, the guild was still less than presentable.

"Who the hell did this?" Zancrow asked as his black flames enveloped him.

"Twilight Ogre," Laki stated plainly as she was sweeping up the broken glass from all their fine wines that were knocked over during the ruckus.

Zancrow's flames diminished, and he calmly walked out starting to work his way up the street towards the rival guildhall.

…

(Knock Knock)

(Knock knock knock)

(KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK)

"Who the hell is it!"

Zancrow was at the foot of the Twilight Ogre guildhall knocking when he heard this distasteful voice from inside. How dare he question him? But Zancrow wanted to enjoy this moment as much as possible. "It's the pizza man!" he responded while trying to refrain his laughter.

"I didn't order no stupid pizza." The voice said from inside. The view slider in the door slid open and the man's eyes on the other side became the size of oranges. He gawked as he saw the God Slayer at his doorstep enveloped completely in black flames. "You! I remember you!"

"Knock knock motherfuckers!" Zancrow retorted.

(BOOM)

The door exploded and flew back towards the inner lobby of the guildhall taking the unlucky Twilight Ogre guildmate with it.

Everyone inside was on alert now. The ones who were eating, sparring, making out, Zancrow had all their attention. He calmly walked in and started to look around the hall. "Nice place you got here," he stated with an evil grin. "It would be a shame if someone burned it to the ground."

Almost immediately, every available member of Twilight Ogre charged at the God Slayer. Wizards with fire, water, wind, and other types of magic started charging up their attacks, but it didn't matter. Zancrow was about to mop the floor with these third rate wizards. He took his signature battle stance and began to power up. "This is what happens when you mess with Fairy Tail. The next time you decide to trash our guild hall, remember this day, when I kicked all of your asses… Flame God … Explosive Flame."

Zancrow let his attack loose within the hall. After an earthshattering (Kaboom), he found himself standing in rubble, as a little more than half the guildhall was left standing. All of the Twilight Ogre guild members were either knocked out cold, blown out of the building, or running around trying to put the fire on their clothing out. They were roughed up and alive. 'That's what I get for holding back.' The God Slayer thought. "HAHAHAHAHA." Zancrow merely enjoyed the view for a couple minutes before heading back to Fairy Tail. He still hadn't had anything to eat and his stomach was not going to wait any longer. "I'll have Kinana make me a steak, no wait, maybe some ribs, aww hell why not both?" The God Slayer decided to protect Fairy Tail as long as it suits him, after all, he still had a score to settle with the Tenrou Island Surivors.


	7. Return of FT : Blast from the Past

**CH7: Blast From the Past**

Seven years have passed since Zancrow was accepted into Fairy Tail, and he was devastated. In that time he had bought a house with all the money he had made from completing dangerous jobs, and had been training rigorously getting stronger with each passing day. But what was the point? By now Zancrow had lost all hope to ever see Natsu Again. All the strength he possessed meant nothing if he was unable to even the score with the Dragon Slayer.

"Maybe the black dragon really did kill them. I mean, it has been seven years. Surely at least one of them would have found their way back to Magnolia by now even if they were blasted to the other side of Earthland."

Zancrow made his way through downtown Magnolia in heavy thought. All this time he was set on destroying Fairy Tail. He even went as far to join them just so he could one day exploit their weaknesses and bring them down from the inside. His first year there he spent hours at a time in the library reading up on all of the wizards Fairy Tail hosted, past and present. He studied all the wizards, weak and strong. But his main focus when gathering intel of the enemy was not Natsu, for he had already fought him. His main focus were the top wizards in Fairy Tail who could pose a threat to him. Grey with his Ice make magic, Erza with her unbeatable armor, Laxus and Mirajane as well, were all threats to be concerned about. And Zancrow studied them intricately. He had knowledge of their magic, their signature attacks, their fighting styles, but it no longer mattered because they were gone. He had no enemies in Fairy Tail. Everyone who knew him as a member of Grimoire Heart was dead. The Fairy Tail he joined, as small and weak as they currently were, he actually kind of liked them. He had no beef against Fairy Tail anymore since all his beef was obliterated by Acnologia.

"What a letdown. Part of me hoped you had survived Natsu. But I guess I was a fool to believe that. You and your guild were destroyed by that dragon. How pathetic, to defeat all of Grimoire Heart's Seven Kin, only to be beaten by flying lizard in the end. Yet I somehow survived. I thought that if I lived through that experience so did all of you but after seven long years, I doubt that is the case. I never thought that I would become a good guy. But I guess that is what old man Makarov was trying to tell me back on Tenrou Island. The "power of family," or more specifically, Fairy Tail, it changes you. I never wanted to be a good guy doing good deeds. But Laki, and the others have shown me that change is necessary when you want to move on from your past. The old Fairy Tail took away my home, my family, and my pride. But now, I am a part of their family and through the years have become more powerful than I could ever have dreamed back on that island."

Zancrow looked down at his right pectoral muscle which once bore the guild mark of Grimoire Heart. It now hosted the Fairy Tail crest. He still could not believe he was a part of a guild he once loathed. But slowly, through these seven years, Fairy Tail changed him. He made his way back to Central Magnolia expecting there to be Twilight Ogre goons waiting outside of the guildhall. In fact there were, but their current state puzzled Zancrow; They were all knocked out. One, four, seven, fifteen, twenty. Twenty guys were knocked out cold on the street in front of his guildhall. "This must have been one of their biggest raid attempts on us since I've joined Fairy Tail." He thought. "I wonder who knocked them out."

Zancrow was about to enter the guildhall when he heard voices, laughter even, coming from the inside of Fairy Tail. It sounded like the party of the century was going on in there and he wanted to know why. Then Zancrow heard a voice he knew all too well.

"I'm fired up now!"

"Natsu…" Zancrow stated in disbelief.

He knocked the door open with such force he broke both of their hinges. Immediately the party stopped and it was dead silent. Most of the guildmembers that had returned from Tenrou were not familiar with the God Slayer, but Wendy, Carla, Happy, Pantherlily, Natsu, and Makarov recognized him all too well. They stared in disbelief wondering how he had survived the blast.

"Oh Zancrow," Laki said with tears of joy in her eyes. "Our long lost family has returned."

Zancrow stood dumbfounded as he looked around the room to see, all of them. Erza, Wendy, the three stupid cats, Lucy, Gajeel, Levy, even Makarov had returned. Everyone was back except for Gildarts, Laxus, and Mirajane who seemed to be elsewhere currently. "They, actually did survive…" he mumbled. "Just when I was actually starting to feel at home."

"Zancrow!" Natsu yelled. "How did you surviv…"

Natsu was barely halfway through his sentence when powered up in anger and let his black flames consume him. The pink haired one's voice was all the God Slayer needed to be reminded of his humiliating defeat back on the island. In one acrobatic motion, he leaped down to the lobby and started charging at the Dragon Slayer. He hated Natsu. To think that he could just show up after seven years, when things were going so well for him here.

"Nice of you to show up dragon breath. I was wondering whether you were really dead or just playing possum the last seven years."

"Zancrow! What are you doing in my guildhall?" Natsu asked whilst flaming up as well.

"Destroying it from the inside! Zancrow Yelled. "And you will be the first to feast on my fury!"

"Zancrow!"

"Natsu!"

When their fists collided, the inside of the Fairy Tail guildhall was consumed with black and orange flames.


	8. Return of FT : Rematch

**CH8: Rematch**

When the smoke cleared, Zancrow was looking down into a hole in the middle of the Fairy Tail guildhall. And in the center of it was Natsu, embedded into the dirt. Half of the guild was wondering why Zancrow attacked Natsu, while the other half that just returned wondered why there was a dark guild member in their home. All at once, Gray, Erza, Wendy, and Gajeel all jumped in front of Natsu who was just starting to get up.

"You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us." Gray stated coldly.

"Fools! Currently I am one of you, HAHAHA," Zancrow retorted whilst pointing at his Fairy Tail crest on his chest.

"Not for long. It's ok guys, he's mine." Natsu told his friends. After establishing trust, his friend nodded and backed off. He stared down Zancrow with distaste, remembering the beating he had received from the God Slayer before he pulled a miraculous comeback. "How did you survive Acnologia?" he said whilst cracking his knuckles.

"I'm still trying to figure that out myself dragon breath. All I remember was a flicker of white light enveloping me before the attack hit. Next thing I knew I had washed up on the shore near Hargeon Town."

"Fairy Sphere…"

"Yes, that. What matters is that my survival has granted me the rare opportunity to even the score. Don't you think for one second I have forgotten how you beat me on Tenrou Island, or how your guild wiped out my own. I have been patient for seven long years, and today is finally the day where I make Fairy Tail pay for what they put me through."

"Gimme a break man! Your guild was the one who attacked us first. You're just mad because our guild was stronger. Your aim was to kill all of us and secure Zeref for your own evil plans."

"Our original plan was to take Zeref and leave. It's not my fault your guild just so happened to be on the same island he was on. And all our plans were ruined thanks to you. After my nasty encounter with Zeref, I awoke to find everything that ever mattered to me was gone. My guild was defeated, my home in ruins, and my pride was damaged. You did this to me and I plan on rectifying your mistakes on this very day." Zancrow put his hands together conjoining his flames in each hand. "Flame God, Chaos Sphere."

(BOOM)

Where Natsu once stood was yet another crater inside Fairy Tail. However, what Zancrow thought was a direct hit was a near miss. He looked above him to see Natsu coming down with a vengeance charging up his own attack.

"Fire Dragon, Iron Fist."

Natsu tried to land the attack right on Zancrow's face but was instead blocked with Zancrow's cross armed guard technique.

"Now fall!" Zancrow emitted a small power surge that knocked Natsu back. Regaining his footing Natsu began charging up yet another attack. "HOHO, this looks familiar doesn't it runt?"

"My name is Natsu, and when I'm done with you you'll wish you never set foot in my guild. Fire Dragon…"

Zancrow put his own hand together conjuring a black flame at their center. "Flame God…"

"Brilliant Flame!"

'Yep, just like old times,' Zancrow thought. "Kagutsuchi!"

Both attacks collided like they did before on Tenrou Island, sending a surging heat wave throughout Magnolia. But this time things were different. Zancrow had been training for seven years and he was about to unleash that power upon Natsu.

"Now, BURN!" Zancrow increased his power which amplified his attack tenfold, completely overpowering Natsu's Briliant Flame. In a flash, Natsu was sent crashing into a nearby building while everyone watching the fight was left speechless. Outside the guild, in the rubble of the once standing apartment block was a scorched Dragon Slayer. Natsu had burns on his chest, stomach and arms, while his hair was singed and smelled like smoke. While everyone was trying to get their bearings, Zancrow zipped in front of Makarov and kicked him like a soccer ball into the upper balcony of the guild, knocking him out. Zancrow knew how much power the old man possessed and refused to give him the chance to use it. The God Slayer's negligence towards Makarov back on the island ended up being his undoing since the old man was able to save Natsu resulting in his defeat. Not this time.

Zancrow then started walking towards Natsu with a devilish grin on his face. Today was the day he would end the Dragon Slayer's life. At this point, all of Fairy Tail joined the fight against him. Like dominoes, Fairy Tail guildmembers fell one at a time. Unison attacks didn't touch the God Slayer, much less precision strikes. Grey used his ice geyser while Gajeel used his Iron Dragon Club, both which were melted instantly by Zancrow. He blasted them away with ease. Wendy tried to take a shot at the God Slayer but was stopped in her tracks when he appeared in front of her with lighting speed as he punched her in the stomach knocking her out. Lucy was frightened and tried to reach for her keys, only to have Zancrow grab and twist her wrist while his other arm grabbed her neck. Once she was oxygen deprived he let her go on the floor and resumed his stroll towards the dragon slayer. Zancrow then encountered Erza who reequipped into her Heaven's Wield armor to face him. She swung at the God Slayer only to be knocked back by a burst of heat which melted her blades and part of her armor.

"Well what do you know about that?" Zancrow mocked Natsu as he towered over him. "I just kicked your guild's ass."

'So… strong.' All Natsu could do was look up and glare daggers at his enemy. Zancrow grabbed the Dragon Slayer by his singed hair and lifted him up so that he was level with the God Slayer. Zancrow punched Natsu in the stomach, hard.

"That was for eating my flames."

Zancrow punched Natsu again in the stomach, this time making him cough up blood.

"And that was for using my own power against me!"

Black flames engulfed the God Slayer's fist as he prepared his final devastating attack for the Dragon Slayer.

"And this is for making me wait seven goddamn years to get my revenge."

Natsu braced himself for the blow that never came. He looked in disbelief to see Erza holding back Zancrow's fist from colliding with his ribcage.

"What the…" Zancrow stated in disbelief.

Erza punched the God Slayer in the stomach which was followed by a roundhouse kick to the chest which made him drop Natsu. The God Slayer went flying back a couple yards but regained his footing quite easily.

"A glutton for punishment eh? I will be happy to give you the same hospitality I was giving your friend over there. Maybe I will make it more enjoyable for myself since you are a sight to behold." Zancrow said while licking his lips.

"Natsu," Erza asked, "you don't mind if I take him down do you?"

"No, not at all. Go for it haha…" Natsu said weakly.

"I heard a lot about you Erza Scarlet. You're one of the top wizards in the guild. I was hoping to pound you into the dirt. And once I defeat you, I'll pound you in a different way as well. HAHAHA." Zancrow said cockily.

"Messing with Fairy Tail was a big mistake." Erza said calmly.

Both wizards faced off against each other before the atmosphere once again was consumed by battle.


	9. Return of FT : Upset

**CH9: Upset**

Erza's fist was caught by Zancrows and with a swift kick to her stomach he sent the female wizard flying back.

"Requip!" And as soon as the words were spoken, Erza emerged wearing her Flame Empress armor. "When two wizards with the same element battle, tactics are what determine the winner." She said with a smile.

"Be careful Erza, he doesn't use normal fire!" Natsu yelled while being healed by Wendy who had since regained consciousness.

"Noted." Erza responded. Her precision strikes were well coordinated and should any of them have collide with Zancrow, he would have been in a world of hurt. Unfortunately for Erza, Zancrow was not only known for his God Slaying magic, but also for his martial art skills. He doged Erza's attacks with ease, toying with her by slapping her face and certain places that shouldn't be slapped.

Erza used her magic power to focus on her flame sword and began charging up her magic.

"No Erza don't do it!" Natsu yelled.

But it was too late. Erza unleashed her wave of fire directly at the God Slayer, puzzled as to why he was grinning. What Erza thought was a knockout blow turned out to be a snack for the God Slayer. He inhaled all her flames and once he was done, his power rose back to its original level.

"Your flames aren't bad tasting, though I got say that Natsu's fire is much more appetizing."

Realizing her situation, Erza reequipped into yet another set of armor. "Requip!" After a flash of light, Zancrow stared dumbfounded. Erza had reequipped into her very revealing Sea Empress armor which exposed her stomach, legs, and a large portion of her cleavage.

Zancrow dropped his guard and common sense as he started walking calmly toward Erza licking his lips. "It would seem that my fun starts now," he said seductively. Erza pointed her sword at him.

"Water Typhoon!" Water shot out towards the God Slayer and pushed him back with hard till he was against a wall. Thousands of gallons flowed out from Erzas sword sealing Zancrow in a sphere of water with a large radius. Erza was going to drown him. After all he did to her guild, and humiliating her in the heat of battle, she decided it was time for the God Slayer, to meet God.

Zancrow however knew what she was up to. With him being underwater, he could not speak the incantations necessary to form his fire attacks. That only left him one option, which was to use raw power. He utilized every ounce of magic power he had to make his escape. After what seemed like forever, black flames finally formed around the God Slayer. Seeing Erzas shocked expression on her face was all the motivation her needed to let loose one final burst of magic power. Erza's water prison began to evaporate being enveloped by black flames.

(BOOM)

The blast sent Erza back into some rubble which seemed to disorient her. She looked around to see the area; it was wet and several patches of water were steaming hot, evaporating. She looked onward to see an exhausted God Slayer, catching his breath. She was so close. How could she fail her friends like that?

Zancrow was still trying to catch his breath. "Nice, try, trying to fight my fire with water. But, it, wasn't enough." Zancrow began walking towards Erza, his demeanor was no longer smug, it was instead angry. "You actually tried to drown me. I guess you Fairy Tail pansies will go through any means necessary to secure victory." He lifted Erza off the rubble by her neck and began to squeeze hard. "This revenge was supposed to take only a couple of minutes. You however have delayed me significantly. And for that you're going to pay."

With a seductive grin on his face Zancrow moved his free hand underneath Erzas armor which was guarding her left breast. He began to manhandle it, squeezing occasionally to the point where Erza's discomfort could be noticed by the God Slayer, no matter how much bravado she was trying to muster up. "You know the problem with fighting bad guys in such revealing outfits? The problem is that if you lose, you're in big trouble. Kind of like you are right now. All the magical power in the world couldn't save you from what I'm about to put you through."

"I'm…going, to crush you." Erza said weakly.

"…Huh? ... HEHEHEHAHAHAHAHA." Zancrow laughed so hard he dropped Erza on the ground. He couldn't take it. Here she was, battered, beaten, weak, and she was making threats of defeating the God Slayer. "Oh man, you're too much for me babe. Haha. If you think you can take me down," Zancrow squatted down right in front of the female wizard locking eye contact, "take your best shot."

Erza returned Zancrow's glare.

"Yea, I didn't think…"

(Crack)

Next thing you knew, Zancrow was on the ground holding his crotch. He could take on Natsu's Brilliant Flame no problem. Armies he didn't even bat an eye at. But a punch in the crotch brought him straight to his knees.

"You…you bitch! That was such a cheapshot!" Zancrow whined.

He regained part of his composure to look up and see Erza towering over him with a look of pure evil in her gorgeous eyes.

"Requip, Purgatory Armor!"

Zancrow's heart slowed a little. Here he was on the ground incapacitated while his opponent appeared to have brought out her most powerful armor. It was all black laced with spikes at certain points. And her sword was enormous, sharp and jagged. She took a swing and Zancrow Braced himself.

(Crash)

He looked to his left where the sword landed just a few inches shy of his beautiful face.

"I told you," Erza said, "messing with Fairy Tail would be your last mistake."


	10. Return of FT : Second Chances

**CH10: Second Chances**

Zancrow couldn't believe what was happening. He had defeated all of the present Fairy Tail members and was about to complete his revenge. And now, due to a swift punch to the nuts, it was all slipping away. Erza grabbed Zancrow by his blonde hair and threw him into the air. She pounced from her location and swung her sword straight at the God Slayer. Much to Zancrow's dismay, it was a direct hit. He soared through the air crashing into a nearby building. His nuts were not the only things hurting anymore.

'I think she fractured my ribs.' He thought. He saw Erza flying straight at him and decided he was not about to go down without a fight. "Flame God, Explosive Flame!" Black flames shot and expanded form the God Slayer's hand straight toward the female wizard, only to have the attack split in half with her massive sword. Zancrow's eyes widened in shock.

(BAM)

Another direct hit. The collision with her sword sent Zancrow through multiple stories of the building he landed on from her first attack. Zancrow was face up, his vision was disoriented, and he was not sure if he would survive the encounter with Titania. "This can't be. Am I really this vulnerable due to one punch to the nuts?"

(Crash)

Erza landed in front of him. "That was for manhandling me. And this, is for messing with Fairy Tail." She raised her sword up to land the final devastating blow. Zancrow shut his eyes and grit his teeth, disappointed to have come so far. All of his struggles, waiting, and planning, only to be toppled by the female wizard.

(Crack)

The hilt collided with the God Slayer, knocking him out.

…

"A lot seems to have happened in the seven years we were gone Macao." Makarov stated plainly. Master was back on his feet recovering from the blow he had previously received from the God Slayer. "We come back to our home only to find out Fairy Tail has been bullied by Twilight Ogre, that we are no longer the top guild in Fiore, and that a former dark guild member has become one of us."

"Master, we had no idea he was part of Grimoire Heart. Laki was the first to encounter him and when she told us he had saved her from those numbskulls in Twilight Ogre, we had to at least consider him joining our ranks. He said he was a traveling wizard with the dream of joining Fiore's strongest guild one day."

"You didn't think he was at least a little bit shifty?" Natsu asked sarcastically. The Dragon Slayer was wrapped in bandages to the point where he looked like a mummy with pink hair. Wendy had healed him as best she could, but some of the burns were severe. Only time would mend them eventually.

"We didn't think anything of it." Wakaba said. "As soon as we extended our hospitality to him, he seemed to drop his tough guy act. He hit it off with Laki for a bit and got to know her and the rest of our guild really well. We eventually heard the news of Tenrou Island being obliterated. It was a hard time for us. But the fact was we needed a new master and we also needed to start recruiting more wizards. We started with Zancrow."

"You were never replaced master. We simply didn't think you or any of your children on that island survived. I mean, it has been seven years." Macao said.

"Your actions are justified. If more than half my guild went missing overnight I would start recruiting too. But the good news is we survived and we have the first master Mavis to thank for that. Now on to more important matters. What do we do with Zancrow?"

It was dead silent in the guildhall for a couple minutes. Natsu was not the only one in bandages. Erza had her stomach wrapped tightly due to the bruised ribs the God Slayer had given her. Wendy and Lucy were recovering from shock. And the rest of the guild looked like they had been thrown into a fire pit. Their clothes were scorched and their skin suffered minor injuries. Of course, those were the ONLY minor injuries. Anyone who fought Zancrow head on suffered more than just a couple of bruises.

"Master, you must understand that until today, Zancrow was actually almost like family. He got along with everybody here. He dated Laki for a couple months, beat up Kinana's first ex-boyfriend after he broke her heart, and has been defending us from Twilight Ogre when he wasn't away on missions. When he came back and saw you guys standing in the guildhall today, it was almost as if something snapped. Dark guild member or otherwise, Zancrow has gone out of his way to make Fairy Tail better in your absence." Wakaba explained.

"I'm not denying that he isn't dangerous. Especially after today. But if he was a member of Grimoire Heart, I'd say that the past seven years have changed him. Even after seeing him take out most of Fairy Tail, he never really hurt anyone except for Natsu who he seems to hate for some reason." Macao said.

Makarov and Natsu looked at each other with concern remembering the fight they had with the God Slayer back on Tenrou Island.

"Me and Macao both made the call to take him into Fairy Tail, but we will stand by your decision Makarov. Whatever you decide to do with Zancrow, we'll back you up one hundred percent." Wakaba said uneasily.

Makarov looked around the guildhall eying all his children. "I know some of you, mostly the ones who were left here after our disappearance have actually taken a liking to the God Slayer. It sounds as if he has changed since me and Natsu faced him back on the island. But anyone who comes to harm any of my children is not welcome in this guild. Zancrow belonged to the dark guild known as Grimoire Heart. They waged war on us back on Tenrou Island and almost destroyed us had it not been for the impeccable timing of certain guild members coming back to aid us." Makarov said looking at Gildarts, Laxus who had come for a visit, and the thunder legion. "If we allow Zancrow to stay, there is no guarantee that he will not betray us, nor that he won't try to pick us off one at a time from within our own walls. I know some of you will be disappointed with my decision, but Zancrow cannot stay with us. I will turn him over to the magic council and he will be given a fair trial."

"Seriously gramps? That's the best solution you can come up with?" Laxus asked.

"Laxus?" Makarov looked stunned to see his grandson defending the God Slayer.

"Did you forget that I betrayed our guild and even held all of Magnolia hostage not too long ago? Why didn't you send me off to the council after that? Could it be because I'm your grandson? So instead you exile me from the guild but you never actually did anything that would impact my life such as sending me to prison."

"My boy, this is different. This hooligan tried to kill my entire family."

"Gramps, I actually tried to use Fairy Law to obliterate Natsu, and his pals. I'm as much an attempted murderer as Zancrow. I heard about the fight when I was in downtown Magnolia with Mira, and according to Macao the only person he really tried to do in was Natsu. The rest he either knocked out or incapacitated them.

At this remark Lucy shuddered remembering the God Slayer's hands around her throat squeezing the life out of her.

"What are you saying Laxus? Do you want Zancrow to remain in Fairy Tail? Do you think I should provide him with a second chance as I did you? What if he tries to hurt Natsu again? Or Erza, or Wendy? Surely he has a bloodlust against them especially after Erza took him down."

"Don't sweat it gramps. I'll keep him in check. If he gives you any trouble at all holler at me and I'll stop by and teach that punk some manners. Plus you got Erza already here for the muscle as well as Mira. Both should be enough to keep Zancrow in check.

Makarov stroked his beard in thought debating what to do. As a part of Fairy Tail, Zancrow was technically his child. He shuddered at that thought. What should he do? Should he grant Zancrow a chance to prove himself, or will he merely make him the magic council's problem?

"I agree with Laxus." It was dead silent in the room after Erza uttered those words and all eyes were on her. "If we merely shrug him off and hand him over to the magic council, who's to say he will receive a fair trial. I can't say my own experiences with their decision making have been pleasant ones, but regardless, we cannot subject a member of our guild to outside judgement. We should put him on probation. At the First hint of trouble from him I will kick his ass myself and deliver him to the council's doorstep. We have more than enough firepower to keep him in check. Today he just caught us off guard, but once we start training again, he won't stand a chance against all of us."

Makarov sighed. After massaging his temples and much contemplation the old man made his final decision. "It is decided then." 'I'm going to regret this.' He thought. "Zancrow will remain as a part of our guild. He will be however on probation. If he does anything to harm the reputation or the children of my guild, he will not have to worry about Erza. I will destroy him myself."


	11. Return of FT : Times of Grace

**CH11: Times of Grace**

Zancrow woke up in a cell. It was a comfortable place by the looks of it. It had a sink, toilet, a queen size bed, and a large bookshelf filled with literature.

"Ok, so I know I'm not in the wizard prison. None of their accommodations are this good."

He got up from the bed and began to look around. The cell door was solid steel and just beyond the entrance he could see the Fairy Tail banner hanging overhead. "They presume to capture me?" Zancrow tried to power up, to no avail.

"What's going on?" The God Slayer looked at his wrists where his battle gauntlets once were only to have been replaced by bracelets. He tried to generate a simple flame in his hand only to have the bracelet faintly glow as he tried. "Magic sealing bracelets. I got all the power in the world but am unable to utilize it due to these infernal contraptions."

He tried to take them off only to find that they were placed with a protective spell. He guessed anyone in Fairy Tail besides him could easily take the bracelets off. Still, two was a little excessive. "What are they so afraid of? Hehehe." The God Slayer chuckled to himself.

He was in this cell for what seemed like hours. He was so bored he began to read a book from the shelf to pass the time. When he got bored of reading, he would do pushups and sit ups should a female jailkeeper come to visit him.

He then heard a door open. He looked up the flight of stairs to where his means of escape was only to see Makarov and four of his children descend towards him.

"Hey Makarov, how's that old noggin treating you? Hahaha. How's your arm?"

After about a minute of an intense stare down, Makarov spoke.

"Laki here tells me you saved her life."

"Yea, what if I did?"

"Doesn't seem like the kind of thing a dark guild member such as yourself would do. Especially one whose goal was to destroy the entire Fairy Tail guild." Makarov inquired.

"Girl needed help so I stepped in and did something about it. I didn't know she was a part of your guild at the time. It's not a big deal." Zancrow rolled his eyes clearly annoyed.

"That's where you are wrong my boy. Every good deed you have done has been brought to my attention during our meeting upstairs. And saving Laki as well as defending the guild from Twilight Ogre, tells me that underneath this heartless exterior, there is some potential good in you."

Zancrow locked eyes with Laki. "What else have you told him?" She looked away with embarrassment and blushed a little.

"Not just her. Macao and Wakaba also vouch for you. And Kinana says you even helped her solve certain boy problems she had not too long ago."

"Is there a point to all this banter old man?"

Makarov's giant aura enveloped him and Zancrow backed off from the cell door in caution.

"The point is, whatever happens to you from here on out is solely my decision. I could hand you over to the Council, hell I could even kill you for what you tried to pull yesterday." Makarov's aura faded away as he calmed down. "But after much convincing from my family, I have decided to spare you a prison sentence. I have decided to spare your life in general for that matter."

"So what, are you going to expel me from the guild?"

"Not quite." Erza responded.

The two wizards stared at each other intensely. Zancrow had not forgotten the pain the scarlet haired wizard had caused him.

"Ahem," Makarov cleared his throat to ease the tension. "You will remain a part of Fairy Tail. Of course, there will be rules that only you will have to follow but it's for the good of the guild. Should you break any of the rules I'm about to list, Erza will break you. It's not just her you have to watch out for. If you cause any trouble at all for our guild, pray that I send my grandson after you and that I don't take care of you myself."

"What if I refuse this o so generous offer?" Zancrow asked seriously for once.

"Then you can make yourself a new home in either a coffin or a prison cell. What I am doing right now is giving you grace and heaven and earth both know you don't deserve it. But, as one of the Ten Wizard Saints, I must come to accept that there is hope for even the lowest of scum. And I believe that with a little guidance and compassion, you will change to become what you never could have been on your own."

"And what's that old man?"

"A part of a family."

Makarov and Zancrow glared at eachother for what seemed like hours. Even Erza and Laki were starting to become uneasy with the dead silence.

"Do we understand each other?" Makarov asked with solemn authority in his voice.

Zancrow just nodded.

"Excelent. Firstly, there will be no more attempts to kill Natsu, or any other of your guildmates. You may spar, you may argue, but if I come to hear that you tried to kill anybody, you will wish you had chosen a life in prison. Secondly, female guild members will be given their space. After what you pulled on Erza during your battle I figured I had to address the issue. You may talk to them, hell, you can even try to flirt assuming you survive the beating they will probably give you for even attempting such a thing. But you will not assault anyone sexually in this guild without their consent. Whatever you do to one of my daughters, I will do to you. And that is a promise. Understand?

Zancrow gulped and nodded again. 'Guess doggy style is out of the picture now.' He thought.

And finally, as long as you operate with that crest on your chest, you are a part of Fairy Tail. I am this guilds master. My word is law. Disobey me, and you will live to regret it especially if one of your thick-headed stunts puts any one of my children in danger. Are we clear on these matters?"

Zancrow could barely stomach what was going on. He assumed they would get rid of him entirely. After trying to obliterate the entire guild just yesterday, Zancrow couldn't believe they would offer him anything other than a one way ticket to hell.

"Yes…sir."

"Excelent. I have instructed for Erza to release you from your cell and your magic binding bracelets in the morning. The rest of the day you will be here. Think about what you can become. Here in our guild, anything is possible. Even for you."

With those last words of wisdom, Makarov, Laki, Erza, Macao, and Wakaba all left Zancrow in his cell to ponder what his new life will be like as a true member of Fairy Tail.


	12. Return of FT : Change for the Better

**CH12: Change for the Better**

Morning came quicker than expected. Zancrow was having the best dream about Erza and Laki pertaining to bedtime activities and he was in heaven. But before the dream sequence ended, he was rudely interrupted by the unlocking of his cell door. Immediately he woke up to find the actual scarlet wizard before him wearing her normal breastplate and blue skirt. Outside of his cell stood Grey and Natsu, obviously here to back up Erza should he cause any trouble.

But Zancrow was thrilled to get his magic back. He extended both his arms to Erza. "If you would be so kind." He said with his signature smirk.

Erza undid the first magic sealing bracelet. Zancrow felt a rush of magic run through his body. It was such an invigorating feeling. Now all he needed was the second one removed. But Erza made no such accommodations.

"What are you waiting for babe. You heard the master yesterday. He expects both these babies off as of now."

Erza grabbed Zancrow by his robe and pulled him towards her. "I warn you. Once I release you from your second binding you will be at full power. But should you try anything at all, at the first sight of trouble, I will kill you. You'll be begging for Makarov's punishment by the time I'm through with you. Do you understand?"

Zancrow could hear the seriousness in her voice. This wasn't just a threat; it was a promise. 'Have I not had enough death threats to last me the year.' He asked himself. "Yes ma'am." He responded.

Taken aback from such a response, the scarlet mage released Zancrow from his second bracelet. Immediately, Zancrow powered up, engulfing himself in his black flame aura as he felt his God Slaying magic come back to him completely. He smirked evilly as he shook the room. When he was done intimidating his guildmates, he looked to see both Gray and Natsu now in his cell, battle ready. The only calm one was Erza holding them back.

"Calm down kiddies, I'm on your side now. Hehehe."

"Yea right." Natsu said skeptically.

The God Slayer proceeded to exit his cell and go upstairs to the main lobby where all the food was. Once there, he was greeted by a whole guild staring at him. All of them looked cautious, especially Wendy and Lucy whom both have experienced the God Slayer's brutality firsthand.

"Why don't you all paint a picture? It will last longer!" Zancrow stormed out of the guildhall. As good as the food smelled today, he didn't want to be anywhere near the guild. After all, he was on probation. All eyes were going to be on him for quite a while. He decided to eat out for breakfast this morning. He had lived in Magnolia for seven years so he knew just where to go for the best pancakes. There was a privately-owned shop not too far from the Magnolia Bakery which Zancrow loved. He made his way through the crowds and finally found his target.

"There you are." Zancrow said dreamily.

The place was called Lacey's Cottage. It certainly did not look like much. After all, it was embedded in between two clothing stores. However, Zancrow knew its potential. He walked in and sat himself in the bar area. He was greeted by the owner which was none other than Lacey. She had blonde hair down to her shoulders which was complimented by her dazzling blue eyes. Her bosom was of average proportion like Erza's and her height didn't exceed 5'2". She was a cutie.

"Hi Zancrow." She said with a smile. "What can I get for you?"

Zancrow placed in his usual breakfast order and Lacey went to the kitchen to prepare it. "Too bad more people don't know about this place. Great waitresses…" Zancrow pictured Lacey in her sexy maid uniform, "and the food is great."

After he chowed down on a massive stack of pancakes, eggs, and bacon, he was stuffed. He thanked Lacey for the meal and was about to head out but he decided to stay a little longer. After all, just because he wore the Fairy Tail guild mark didn't mean they wanted him back in the hall anytime soon. He thought about what Makarov said. Could he come to eventually not hate the guild? Or at least Natsu? That would be a start. He gritted his teeth just thinking about him. His thoughts were promptly interrupted by a rude gentleman across the restaurant.

"Come on baby don't be like that. I heard you provide sexy services in this dump."

"Not those kinds of services sir!"

"Serving customers with a smile, is that not what your motto is here?" he asked.

Zancrow looked over to see Lacey being manhandled by what looked like a merchant traveler. He was guarded by two bodyguards both smirking as their boss grabbed Lacey and pulled her into his lap against her will.

"Would you change your mind if I throw in a hefty tip? Or do I have to threaten to burn this establishment down?" He said with a smirk.

The other customers looked nervous when they saw the merchant forcing himself on the waitress and Zancrow decided, probation or not, he cannot let this scum get away with this. He got up from his spot after leaving a tip for Lacey and approached the merchant. Naturally his body guards got in his way. He looked at Lacey then to the Traveler.

"I don't think she finds your lap comfortable." The God Slayer said.

"And what are you going to do about it boy."

Zancrow's cockiness disappeared. Nobody calls him boy and get away with it. All hell was about to break loose.

…

Erza was shopping in downtown magnolia for new outfits. She had gotten a new top that would look cute on any girl and carried a brand-new purse for her assets. 'This certainly makes up for dealing with Zancrow in the morning.' She thought.

(BOOM)

Erza saw a small shop's door explode whilst being consumed in black flames. She saw multiple customers running out of the building including one scared Lacey. "Goddammit." She said as she darted in the store's direction after dropping her bags. She reequipped into her Sea Empress armor and barged into the establishment. What Erza saw shocked her. Furniture was everywhere, plates were broken, and two men were on the floor unconscious. She then saw Zancrow in the corner holding up what seemed like a businessman against the wall by his shirt.

"What's the meaning of this Zancrow?"

"Why don't you ask this gentleman here." He responded as he threw the merchant across the room towards Erza.

She caught him and he grabbed ahold of her armor in fear. "You gotta help me lady, he's crazy! He attacked me and my men."

Erza shoved the man aside and drew her sword. "I thought we were clear on the rules." She said calmly.

"I figured this situation called for an exception. But of course, you're not even going to try to listen to my side of the story are you?" the God Slayer said whilst crossing his arms and frowning.

She looked back at the merchant who seemed pissed and back at Zancrow who seemed to have calmed down.

"Zancrow! Look what you did!" A furious Lacey walked into the building.

"What's going on?" Erza asked her.

Lacey calmed down and explained to the wizard all that had happened before the explosion. She told her about the shady men and how they were manhandling her in front of customers before Zancrow stepped in. She then faced Zancrow.

"I appreciate what you did for me, but next time tone it down. It's going take weeks to fix this mess." Lacey said while holding back tears. "I will put up with a little sexual harassment if it means that my business won't be burned down to the ground by your crazy magic! Zancrow, we go way back, but you owe me big time for this."

Zancrow felt sheepish and apologized to Lacey giving her a hug. "I will take extra job offers back at the guild to help you pay for this mess of course."

"You better. You do realize you won't be getting any of my pancakes anytime soon right. I mean, part of my kitchen was incinerated due to your rash actions."

Erza was stunned when Zancrow started apologizing again. He was actually trying to make amends for what he had done. Good intentions or not, Zancrow messed up and he was willing to rectify that mistake. Surely he never would have apologized back on Tenrou.

After talking to the law enforcers and signing some paperwork, Zancrow and Erza began making their way back to the guild. The merchant and his goons were arrested, and Lacey decided not to press charges on her friend if he paid her for the inconvenience.

"Who was she?" Erza asked.

"Who? Lacey? She's a friend of mine. Been going to her place for some good chow for the past couple of years. Small place but it has great food."

Erza looked at him puzzled.

"Yes, contrary to popular belief I do actually have some friends Erza. Even in our guild." Zancrow pulled ahead of her picking up the pace of his walk.

Erza smirked a bit at how already the guild was starting to change the God Slayer for the better.


	13. God Slayer's Change : Unwelcome Memories

**CH13: Unwelcome Memories**

About a month had passed since Zancrow was let out on probation within Fairy Tail. He was aware of the rules placed on him and decided to abide by them, for now. He recently finished a job in Balsam Village and was looking for a place to eat. Taking down a squad of rogue assassins does work up an appetite after all. He wandered around the city for a bit until he found a place called Super Express Restaurant.

"Thank God," Zancrow said. "I could use a couple of express meals right about now."

He made his way inside and saw that the interior was very much like Fairy Tail's chow hall. Rows of benches were aligned in columns with one center walkway in which you could make your way towards the food. Zancrow's mouth started to water and he was instantly in line for the buffet. After serving himself about five plates of food, he found a spot near the back of the restaurant and began to chow down. After a good while he finished up and began to contemplate getting dessert when he suddenly saw a girl walk by him and take her seat next to two strangers. Zancrow had to process what he saw for a moment. The familiar scent, the way she carried herself, this girl was familiar. She was wearing a cloak with her hood pulled over her head much like her two friends. She had pink hair and perky womanly features. The God Slayer tried to ignore it until he heard her voice.

"I'm here. Now let's get started."

Zancrow stood up with an evil look on his face and walked towards her. His heart was pounding and he certainly didn't want to make a scene. But if this was who he suspected, it was time for her to pay for what she did to him.

In a swift motion he snuck up to their table and ripped off her cowl, exposing her luscious pink hair.

"You! Meredy!" He yelled as black flames engulfed him.

Meredy gasped unsure of what had happened. Why was her hood gone? She looked behind her to see a blonde man enveloped in black flames possessing a look of murder in his eyes.

"Zan…Zancrow?" Was all she could say. She was petrified with fear. She had not forgotten how she abandoned the God Slayer back on Tenrou Island and left him at the hands of Zeref. At this point the two friends stood up and took off their cloaks. The one with the big tits was Ultear, Grays sister, and the one with blue hair was Jellal.

"H-how did you survive?" Meredy asked.

"I could ask you the same thing. I'm guessing the only reason you and Ultear are still alive is because you took Zeref off the Island before it was obliterated." Zancrow said with distaste in his voice. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you."

"Zancrow, I didn't know he was awake. When he blasted you with his magic, I froze…"

"YOU WATCHED ME DIE! And you did NOTHING! After all we've been through, I thought you would at least… It doesn't matter. I'm going to kill you now, and Ultear later." Zancrow launched his fist at Meredy's face only to be caught by Jellal's hand.

"I think not. You should walk away before I pulve…"

(BOOM)

Instantaneously there was a gaping hole in the wall of the restaurant with Jellal right at the center of it. At this point the commotion had earned the attention of the other guests of the establishment. Ultear began using her magic on his flames but Zancrow recalled them since he knew what she was capable of.

"And you! Recruiting Meredy into your scheme to have Zeref all to yourselves, betraying Grimoire Heart! You don't deserve to live!" Zancrow punched Ultear in the nose and sent her flying back to join Jellal in the wall. The God Slayer refocused his attention on a petrified Meredy and wrapped his hands around her neck and began to squeeze the life out of her.

"It didn't have to be like this." The God Slayer was consumed completely by his emotions. Betrayal, anger, sadness, and even disappointment all rained down on him at once. He was going to squeeze the life out of her, slowly, painfully, the way his life faded when the black wizard killed him.

(BAM)

Zancrow received a painful blow from behind to the neck and he let go of Meredy and collapsed to his knees.

"That's enough." Jellal stated plainly.

Zancrow was not one to be known for getting emotional but he could feel himself tearing up. "After everything we went through together, you turn your back on me for a woman who destroyed the very village you grew up in. You left me for dead, and took your prize and ran." Zancrow's fists were soon covered with Meredy's soft hands as she got on her knees to look her ex-lover in the eyes.

"I never wanted you to die. I only wanted the world that me and Ultear both envisioned. One that was far more fair than the world master Hades wanted. Grimoire Heart was bad for both of us."

"It wasn't all bad was it?" Zancrow placed his head into Meredy's now well-developed bosom and coddled her.

Meredy just wrapped her arms around the God Slayer. "Actually, no, it was not all bad." She responded with a smile.

…

Once the group had all calmed down, Zancrow sat down and began talking to Meredy about what has happened the past seven years. Meredy was indeed surprised that he had joined the guild that they had once fought against. Zancrow did explain to her he had ulterior motives behind his decision but they didn't work out. Meredy talked about the guild she was in composed of herself, Ultear, and their leader Jellal. Their guild was called Crime Sorcière and their mission was to uphold justice throughout all of Fiore. Zancrow still had certain distaste toward his ex. But apparently he didn't know her full story behind her betrayal; And he didn't really care.

He excused himself after a couple minutes talking to Jellal. The guy wasn't so bad. After all, they were both defeated by Natsu so they had at least one thing in common. He decided to hit the hay after the long and eventful day he had. He wandered around the city for a bit until he found an inn that was very much Chinese oriented. He checked himself in and paid up front so that in the morning he could just get up and leave. The God Slayer decided to take a very much needed, cold shower. It was the perfect remedy to ease the tension he had acquired from tonight. It was bad enough he had run into Meredy, but what was even worse was the sexual tension that was clearly in the air between them when they conversed. He wanted nothing to do with her but to make amends and move on with his new life. He dried himself off after his shower and walked to the living room only to find a certain pain in the ass was already sitting there waiting for him.

"No, really, come right in. Make yourself at home." Zancrow said with an annoyed look on his face. On his couch was Meredy. "What the hell are you doing here? In my room? Without my permission?"

All Meredy could do was look sheepish. She didn't have an answer for him. This just felt right. "I wanted to say I'm sorry. For everything. Me and Ultear lost Zeref after he "killed" you. When you told me what she had done to my village I was full of so much hate. But me and her had a heart to heart, literally. I used my sensory link to find out she did regret doing all those evil deeds. After that, we became like sisters. And now we pretty much are rectifying our pasts by being in this guild. We can make a difference now."

Zancrow was about to fall asleep he was so bored. "Is there a point to all this babbling?"

"Only that I want to make amends with you. I want you to know I am very sorry…"

"Yea you're sorry. I don't care much for apologies as much as I do of you getting out of my life. We made amends earlier, we caught up on current events, and now I just want to be done with you." Zancrow turned towards the bedroom and began to leave. "The door is that way." He said rudely.

"Don't turn your back on me! I didn't want this!" Meredy leapt up from the couch and tried to grab Zancrow only to trip on her way there and topple over the God Slayer. He ended up on the floor with a very distraught Meredy landing right on top of him. They stared at each other for a couple minutes before Zancrow eventually broke the silence.

"Get. Off. Now."

"I will get off… eventually." She responded. She took her cloak off and tossed it aside. She then started to unzip her dress and tossed that aside too. She was before the God Slayer in little more than her birthday suit.

Zancrow rolled his eyes. "You know we'll both end up regretting this right?"

"Why don't you drop the tough guy act. We both know you want this as much as me." she said with courage.

"Zancrow smirked and unhooked Meredy's bra, tossed it aside, and began exploring her very large breasts with his mouth. "I don't remember these being here before."

Meredy blushed. "It has been seven years remember?"

"Zancrow got up off the ground with Meredy in his arms and made his way to the master bedroom leaving his towel behind. With Meredy's last asset of underwear removed, they began to perform their final sins together before they went their separate ways.


	14. God Slayer's Change : Not Done With You

**Warning: This chapter is a bit dark but explores a very real problem we have in society that is human trafficking. If you remember, the very first episode of Fairy Tail featured a human trafficker named Bora who impersonated 'Salamander' or Natsu. He will make an appearance in this Fanfic. Zancrow saves the day and deals swift justice to the traffickers involved and no innocent victims get hurt so its all good. The chapter may have a dark theme, but it has a satisfying and happy ending.**

* * *

 **CH14: Not Done With You**

Zancrow regretted it. Not sleeping with Meredy; that part was fun. He regretted not leaving the inn sooner. First rule of a one night stand; no follow ups. And follow up they did. Zancrow tried to sneak out of the bedroom after sleeping in a little bit longer than he had planned for. He was stopped by Meredy asking him where he was going without saying goodbye. It was the longest goodbye Zancrow had ever been a part of. An hour later, both he and Meredy were covered in sweat and the bedsheets needed a serious wash. Meredy blushed and told Zancrow if he got her pregnant, she would hunt him down and force him to marry her.

"I told you to pull out." She tried to say with as much bravado as she could.

"All I remember was you telling me to slow down." Zancrow said with his arms crossed smirking. "Besides, you're the one who had her legs wrapped around me. Kind of difficult to 'pull out' in that predicament. What's the matter, did the fast pace catch you off guard?"

"That is so not my fault! I haven't done this since we left Grimoire's airship for the Tenrou Island mission." She said annoyed.

"Man, you must not be very appealing to men in general if it's been that long. What about Jellal?"

"What? No way, he's like a brother to me. Do I sense a bit of jealo…"

"Of course not. Why would I be jealous of pretty boy? He is only the leader of an all-female guild. No reason to be jealous." Zancrow said annoyed. He stood up on the bed dangling his manhood in front of Meredy's face. "Besides, you really shouldn't be talking with your mouth full." Zancrow taunted as he shut up Meredy by inserting his member into her mouth. After a couple minutes he finished in her mouth and they were both exhausted. They decided to go their separate ways as soon as possible lest they be doing bed activities all day.

After leaving the inn, both wizards were walking down the dirt path that headed towards Magnolia. Meredy had to catch up with her guild lest they worry about her still being gone. But Zancrow could care less about what she did and kept on walking towards Magnolia. He was stopped by a simple gesture. Meredy was hugging him from behind and he felt…happy.

"Goodbye Zancrow." Meredy smiled and began to make her way back to her guild.

Zancrow merely brushed it off and resumed his walk back home.

"I'm not done with you yet. Not by a longshot." Meredy chuckled to herself. She would be back, and Zancrow wouldn't see it coming.

…

It had not even been five minutes since Zancrow entered the guildhall and he and Erza were already going at it.

"Why do you smell like perfume? Care to explain?" The scarlet wizard demanded.

"Yes. Actually no. It's none of your business why I smell feminine this fine goddamn morning." Zancrow replied clearly irked.

Elfman chuckled to himself while his other siblings tried to refrain their laughter.

"Sleeping around with women will certainly affect this guild's reputation. Did you forget the conditions Master established when he let you out?"

"If that was the case Laxus would have ruined this guild's reputation long before I joined you red haired skank!"

While some of the guild members were in a state of shock due to Zancrow's remark towards Erza, Laxus chocked on his drink and began to look nervously at Mira. She knew about his past activities with other women but decided to let it go due to him changing after rejoining Fairy Tail. Besides, she's had a crush on him since she had first joined all those years ago and their relationship has been steady thus far.

"Do I detect some jealousy?" Zancrow inquired.

Erza's face turned as red as her hair as she tried to explain herself. "I'm just making sure you don't take advantage of some helpless woman. After all you are a…"

"What? What am I? Evil? A former dark guild member? What?"

"A man."

It grew so quiet in the hall you could hear the crickets chirping and the awkward wind blowing. Zancrow just stared at Erza in disbelief that she would be this narrow minded.

"You know what, I regret asking." Zancrow began to walk out of the guild when he decided to look back and perform a taunting pelvic thrust directed at the scarlet wizard. Her face after he did it was priceless, but the deed did not go unpunished. She literally kicked Zancrow out of the hall and he landed face flat on the ground outside.

"Stupid unstable bitch." He muttered as he made his way down to Lacey's Cottage.

…

Zancrow spent hours at Lacey's. Although the food there was great, he was there mostly to talk. He vented to Lacey on how annoying Erza was and how every action he did was questioned by her. He was after all still on probation although it feels as if it has been forever.

It was well past closing hours but Lacey reserved herself for Zancrow's situation. She was a good listener and gave good advice. She told Zancrow to not let her get to him and give that "scarlet bimbo" her space. They had a few drink together and conversed for a bit longer.

"Hey Zancrow, as much as I love this quality time with you, I really need to be closing up shop."

"I thought you already closed?"

"Yea, I closed the store, but plates still need to be washed, tables need to be cleaned, and I still gotta sweep the floors."

"Oh, heh, sorry. If you want I'll stay and help."

"No way. You would only distract me." Lacey began to blush at the mere thought of having this man to herself all night. Oh the things she would do for him. "I love you man but you need to vacate the premises."

"Ok,ok. I'll see you tomorrow then." Zancrow paid and left the cottage. He was strolling down magnolia in the middle of the night pondering his current troubles. The cool night air helped him clear his head and ease his tension.

'Stupid Erza ruining my day. I need to get her back soon. Otherwise no one will take me seriously if I get abused by that woman.'

(BAM)

Zancrow heard breaking wood about a block away. It sounded like a door being kicked down. "What idiot is trying to rob a business this time of ni…"

Zancrow then heard a bloodcurdling scream where he had just walked from. "Nah, they wouldn't…" He then saw a carriage with four horses make its way down the alleyway opposite the way he was walking. The carriage came out from the road Lacey's Cottage was at. What were the chances? "Dammit!" Zancrow ran back to the cottage and stopped at its doorstep. He looked through the windows and everything looked neat…except for a broom and dustpan scattered on the floor. "I'm sorry Lacey." The God Slayer kicked the door down and barged in looking frantically for his friend.

"Lacey!" He yelled. No answer. He ran to the kitchen and saw the back door broken letting the cool night air into the building. He looked at the road and saw carriage tracks leading down the alley. "Those bastards." Zancrow took off sprinting after the assailants, praying that Lacey was all right.

…

Zancrow made his way to a warehouse where the tracks seemingly stopped at the entrance. The God Slayer deduced that they obviously were inside and he was going to get her out of there. But first he decided to do a little reconnaissance. He made his way to the roof and found some glass skylights. What he saw horrified him. Lacey was in one piece thankfully, but she was missing all assets of clothing and was surrounded by six men with guns.

"This will teach you to deny me and my men services, you little whore. When were done with you here, we will then sell you off to the highest bidder. Assuming most of you remains intact when were done ravaging your delicious body." The man in the business suit said with a perverted smile on his face.

'Him! The trader in her restaurant.' These were the same men that Zancrow busted back at the cottage for harassing Lacey. Only these were not traders of fine goods, these were traders of fine women. 'Human traffickers.' Zancrow thought with distaste.

The "boss" nodded towards two of his guys and they immediately started to ditch their clothing. The other four men that were armed were restraining Lacey, as all she could do was watch these naked men come towards her with ill intensions.

'Oh hell no this isn't happening.' Zancrow shattered the skylight and fell on top of one of the naked men approaching Lacy breaking his back. He then turned to the other man and punched him in the nose, breaking it and sending him flying into some metal crates.

"You!" The boss said as he brought out his own gun and began to shoot at Zancrow. "What are you waiting for? Fire!" All his men lost focus on Lacey and began to bombard the God Slayer with hundreds of bullets. All of which had no effect. The bullets would melt on impact as they collided with Zancrow's black flames.

Zancrow lept towards the group of men surrounding Lacey and incinerated them on impact. He grinned evilly as their bodies disintegrated into ash before him. He then shifted his attention to the boss who at this point was consumed with fear. In a flash Zancrow was inches away from his face. He raised his fist and collided it with the man's stomach, making him cough up blood. Zancrow kept beating him until he was a pulp, too weak to stand or do much.

"This is a nasty business you know. Many lives are ruined due to lustful animals such as yourself. Do me a favor and send a message to your boss for me, once your jaw heals of course. Tell him to forget this business and to go into garden tending or something. Because if I catch you guys doing something like this in Magnolia again, I will find your stronghold, and I will incinerate everybody in it like I did to your guys here tonight. Capiche?"

The boss just nodded his head in a panic.

"Good." Zancrow then brought down his fist onto the guy's skull, fracturing it and knocking him out.

He then approached Lacey who had been petrified due to the commotion. Sure, she was about to have the worst night of her life and that is indeed terrifying. But she just saw one of her good friends kill six men and nearly beat a seventh one to death. Zancrow merely wrapped her in his own clothing as he had more than enough layers to spare and started to carry her bridal style out of the warehouse.

"I told you I should have stayed and help clean up. But nooooo, clearly you had everything under control." The God Slayer said sarcastically.

"Really? You're gloating now? You are such a jerk!"

"Hehe. Damn straight."

Zancrow continued walking down the dark streets of Magnolia with the pretty blonde girl in tow, eager to get her home safe.


	15. God Slayer's Change : Run Amok

**CH15: Run amok**

Zancrow woke up in a comfortable bed. A little too small for his taste but it was soft enough to make him overlook that fact. Then it occurred to him that it was not his bed. He looked over to find a naked Lacey all curled up next to him under the covers. Zancrow observed every curve on her body and soon realized he was naked too.

'I don't even want to remember what happened last night.' Lacey was one of Zancrow's closest friends and last night he allowed boundaries to be ignored. He left the bed and got dressed to go back to the guildhall. Conscidering their history, the God Slayer left a note on Lacey's bed stand apologizing for things getting out of control the night before. He really didn't want anything to change due to a spur of the moment sexual encounter. Zancrow never in a thousand years thought HE would be the one doing the walk of shame. He usually took pride in every woman he has bedded. Lacey was different though. And now because of last night, he was a bit worried their closeness as friends would be in jeopardy.

It's high time Zancrow went on a job to start making some money again. After the traffickers roughed up Lacey last night she's going to need all the help she could get. It still boggled the God Slayer's mind how such a disgusting business could make so much money and affect those closest to him. Had he failed to rescue Lacey, who knows what would have happened to her. Perhaps she would have been sold off to the highest bidder. No doubt she would have been sent off after the hosts had 'tried' her out themselves. You simply don't treat women that way. If Zancrow ever encountered the leader of the trafficking ring, he would make sure he paid for getting into the wrong business.

Zancrow reached the guildhall and he of course was hungry, especially after a night of hardcore exercise. The guild by now had accepted the fact that Zancrow was here to stay. Everyone had stopped making glares at him and Mira went as far as to even cook for the ex-dark guild member.

"Here you are Zancrow." Mira brought the God Slayer his breakfast with her signature smile.

"Thanks." Zancrow stated plainly. He still was cautious around the S-class mages in the guild, not wanting to piss them off. However, a certain Dragon Slayer mistook Zancrow's caution for rudeness.

"Hey you! Don't be rude to Mira. She works too hard for ungrateful people like you to diss her like that." Natsu said.

"The hell you talking about. I clearly thanked her for the meal. And it's none of your damn business whether I'm being polite or not dragon breath." The God Slayer responded with a smirk on his face.

"Just like a dark guild member. Never caring about anyone but yourself. When was the last time you ever did something for someone else Zancrow?!"

Zancrow looked over at Erza establishing a level of understanding. She had not forgotten how he had blasted the traveler's back at Lacey's cottage for manhandling her. But as Erza was about to speak up, the doors to the guild flew wide open.

Everyone stared in bewilderment at the trio located at the guild's entrance. There was a chubby old man accompanied by what appeared to be his wife. She was blonde and appeared to be several years younger than her husband. In between them was their daughter… "Lacey?" Zancrow stated.

"Zancrow!" Lacey sprinted towards the God Slayer enveloping him in a massive hug. "How can I ever thank you for last night?" She asked teary eyed.

"LAST NIGHT? IS VIOLATING WOMEN WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOU RUN AMOK THE CITY AT NIGHT ZANCROW? Erza asked in disbelief. "What has this dog in heat done to you?" Erza's face was as red as her hair when she drew her sword ready to defend the young girl's honor.

"Lady it's not what you are imagining." Lacey lied sheepishly. Both she and Zancrow remember quite well what had happened once they had arrived at her place the night before.

"Are you the young man that saved my daughter from the clutches of Bora?" The old man was now directly in front of Zancrow."

"Who wants to know? And who the hell is Bora?"

"Bora is the man at the top of the human trafficking ring in Fiore. He was taken down a couple notches by a young wizard in this guild who could breathe fire but since then he has returned keeping his business circle smaller for security purposes. I am Lacey's father and would like to reward the wizard who helped save my daughter from a life of enslavement. Are you her rescuer or not?"

Zancrow looked around to find out that once again all eyes were on him. Surely Zancrow, an ex-dark guild member couldn't care less for a helpless girl much less save her from abductors. The God Slayer scratched the back of his neck, "Yea, I guess I am," he said embarrassed.

"Excellent." The old man shoved his daughter aside and crushed Zancrow in his own bear hug making the God Slayer gasp for air. When he was done, Zancrow was out of breath and felt dizzy. He looked up to see a massive sack lobbed onto the ground in front of him.

"What's this?"

"A token of my appreciation. You do not realize how precious my daughter is to me and I figured what's five hundred thousand jewel compared to her life. This is for saving her from those horrific men." The old man responded with a smile.

It was quiet for a couple minutes before the whole guild cried in astonishment, "FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND JEWEL?"

Zancrow looked at the bag and decided he had no use for it. He already had a house, job offers every day, and a place to live in his guild should anything happen to anything he owned. He smirked. "Thanks old man, but I can't accept this. Your daughter was not a mere job that I expect to get paid for to save. She is my friend. Call my good works towards your family a personal service."

Lacey's father looked stunned. 'Did he really turn down my money? Why? Is it not enough?' He thought.

At this point Lacey's mother, chimed in. "Lacey said you would probably reject the reward so me and her put together a gift basket for you. At least accept this gift as a token of our sincere appreciation for what you have done for our daughter."

Zancrow looked the basket over. It was full to the brim with ripe fruits, baked goods, and a card that said thank you on it. Zancrow did not know what to do but say thanks.

The family stayed in Fairy Tail for a couple of hours talking to Zancrow. After a couple of awkward conversation of arranged marriages, "extracurricular" bed activities, and possible future grandchildren, the family said their goodbyes.

"If you ever need any favors, politically, financially, or otherwise, feel free to let me know." Lacey's father said as he left with his wife. Lacey winked at Zancrow as she left with them.

"Drop by soon okay?" She said.

Zancrow was relieved that the relationship between and his best friend had not changed since last night. As he watched Lacey and her family leave the guildhall, Zancrow held onto the gift basket unsure of what to do with it. No one had ever given him a gift before. Well a physical present type gift. He then turned to Natsu with a devious grin on his face.

"To answer your question dragon breath, the last time I did something for someone else other than myself was last night. When I saved that girls life."

Zancrow then pushed past the Fairy crowd that was in disbelief to what they just witnessed. He plopped himself down at the nearest table next to Erza and began chowing down on his present. He then looked at the scarlet mage and offered her some fruit.

"Grape?" He asked with a genuine smile.

Erza who had since put away her sword and calmed down smiled and gratefully accepted.


	16. God Slayer's Change : Fairy Picnic

**CH16: Fairy Picnic**

As the returning members of Fairy Tail were trying to adjust to their new lives due to the seven-year time skip, they decided to let loose for a bit. They had been training hard to get back on par with the other guilds in Fiore and needed a break. Makarov made his announcement when all were present in the guildhall.

"Ahem. As you all know, ever since we have come back from purgatory due to Fairy Sphere, seven years have gone by. Thus, we are behind in stature and in power compared to other guilds who have only become stronger in our absence. I know you all have been working tirelessly to try to recover the time we have lost and the training we have missed out on. Which is why as of now, I am declaring a mandatory vacation day."

Everyone in the guild looked puzzled.

"This is not up for discussion. This coming Friday will mark the first Fairy Tail picnic hosted by the best in our guild. There will be tons of food, games, and for even further motivation… a bikini contest!"

At this point all the men in the guild started to whoop and holler like idiots.

"The games will be hosted by Laxus. I will be the referee. There will be potato sack races, three legged races, a volleyball match, and even sparring towards the end of the day. The food will be made by our amazing chefs, Lisana and Mirajane, who will obviously have help from other talented cooks in our guild. And finally, the bikini contest will star our most attractive female wizards and will be judged by… ME!"

Everyone in the room especially the women anime sweat dropped.

"He may be our guildmaster, but he is still a perverted old man." Lucy said.

"Prepare to be defeated!" Erza told her longtime rival.

"Are you sure you want to face off against me? You're pretty anxious to lose." Mira retorted with her signature smile. "After all, I don't remember seeing you on the cover of Sorcerer Weekly."

As the cat fight broke out between them, Natsu and Zancrow made eye contact with each other.

"YOU'RE GOING DOWN!" They both shouted in unison.

"Nonsense dragon breath. It won't even be a sparring match when we face off. It will be a one-sided annihilation."

"I agree, and you will be the one to be annihilated in our face off." Natsu replied.

"Wow, what a great comeback."

They butted heads and each was consumed by their signature flames.

'This is going to be one hell of a picnic.' Makarov thought rubbing his temples.

…

Friday came and everyone in Fairy Tail was at the Magnolia mountains. Master Makarov had found an exquisite field with soft grass and a small cove with a waterfall emptying itself into the lake. Once they were all there, everyone went to work. Mira, Lisanna, and Elfman began to do kitchen duties. They set up their tent and with the help of Natsu and Zancrow they made a bonfire where they could cook multiple pots of food at the same time.

Laki and Gray helped make furniture for the picnic. Laki with her wood make magic made many wooden benches that people could sit on to eat once the food was ready while Gray made the boundaries for the games with Juvia's help.

Laxus and Erza set up all the equipment needed for the games they were going to have. They unloaded ropes, cones, finish line tape, and first aid kits that they would surely need once the sparring matches were over. Everything was falling into place smoothly.

After everyone devoured the feast that was prepared for them, Laxus and Makarov began the games. Zancrow decided to sit out the potato sack race. He thought it was the dumbest thing ever invented. You literally hop in a sack toward the finish line and look like a fool throughout the whole thing only to get a ribbon for first. He viewed his surrounding and saw that he wasn't the only one sitting this event out. Gajeel and Pantherlily were both on a bench opposite of him just watching. Gajeel often focused on Levy as she tried to keep up with the leaders who were in front. Natsu and Lucy were further ahead while first place seemed all but impossible to achieve. Jet always came in first. No one could beat him in speed related games and the one who came in second was at least a good thirty feet behind him.

Zancrow was bored. He was seriously considering sneaking away and returning when the sparring matches began. Hell, he even considered coming back for the bikini contest since there were so many good-looking babes in his guild. But what was the point. Mira was already hitched to Laxus. Erza would kill him on the spot if she caught him looking at her in a bikini. Levy was flat chested. Lucy was pretty hot but her voice was so annoying. Both her and Cana were pretty much half naked on a daily basis anyway. Lisanna was a little young but he could work with it due to her developed features. Mira would kill him for sure if she knew what he was thinking at that point in time.

He wasn't interested at all in the picnic. He could be out making money or picking a fight with some thugs. But instead he is here at this guild social event. The potato sack races ended with Jet having several first place ribbons. Go figure. Zancrow stood up to take his leave as they started to set up for the three legged races.

"Going somewhere?"

Zancrow spun around at the sound of Erza's voice. After all he has been through with her, she terrified him. Not because of her power, but because of how quick her mood swings were. She could be perfectly happy one second, and beat the shit out of you the next for no reason whatsoever. 'How do Natsu and Gray put up with her?' He thought.

"Yea, away from here. I have no interest in this picnic. Not when I could be out working a job or something."

"So you aren't going to partake in this race?"

"No way woman. I've got better things to do."

"Oh, that's too bad. This is Natsu's favorite game." Erza smirked.

Zancrow stopped in his tracks. Natsu. How he hated that name. The God Slayer was looking forward to beating the hell out of him during the sparring matches. But any chance to humiliate the pink haired fool would be too good to pass up.

"Alright. You got my attention. Start talking."

"Well, you will need a partner for the race If you wish to play. Then the goal is to get to the finish line in rhythm to your partners pace so that you don't trip, fall, make a fool out of yourself, and come in dead last. Erza saw Zancrow's confused expression. "Is any of this sinking in?" She asked annoyed.

"Umm, yea. I just never played this game before."

For once Zancrow seemed sincere and unsure of himself. Being a part of Grimoire Heart, it is safe to assume that master Hades never made time for picnics, much less games. All Zancrow knew then was the power of destruction.

"Oh." Erza said sheepishly. Immediately her composure came back and she grabbed the God Slayer's hand and started dragging him toward the starting line.

"What do you think you are doing?" Zancrow yelled.

"I want to trash Mira in this race, and you want to stomp Natsu. The way I see it, we have the same goal."

"Our goals could not be more different actually. You just said you wanted Mira and I want…"

"The point is, if we team up, we will take both of them down at the same time. We both win."

"What kind of logic is…"

"Tie me up!"

"WHAT?"

"I mean tie our legs together and get ready to win. Because if I lose to Mira, you will pay dearly."

Zancrow's fantasy of Erza bonded by rope immediately faded and was replaced by the horrific image of her choking him with the apparatus should they lose. But Zancrow didn't plan on losing. In fact, he was going to smoke everyone especially Natsu. He finished tying his and Erza's legs and they positioned themselves at the starting line. Erza made raspberries at Mira who was attached to Laxus while Natsu began to envelop himself in his flames much to Lucy's dismay. This time Gajeel was participating as well and he tried to keep his balance while partnered with Levy. As the rest of the teams assembled at the starting line, Makarov got everyone's attention.

He then announced the rules. "This game is straightforward. You all are wizards so magic is allowed during this race. Flying however is not allowed. Get to the finish line first with your partner and you win. Should you become detached from your partner during the race, you will be disqualified. Aside from that, take your marks. Get set. Go!"

Everyone began to sprint toward the finish line. Jet and Droy took perhaps two steps before they tripped and both fell face first to the ground. Mira and Laxus were ahead of Zancrow and Erza but not by much. But in the very front was Natsu who was sprinting as fast as he could…trailing Lucy behind him as her upper body was being dragged on the ground.

"He either has no clue what he is doing, or he knows exactly what he is doing." Zancrow stated.

"This is how he planned on winning I suppose. Guess he forgot he had a partner." Erza remarked.

"I refuse to lose to him regardless. What about you?"

"As long as we trash Mira, I don't care what place we finish as."

"Nice to know you always aim high." He sarcastically answered anime sweat dropping. Zancrow then twisted Erza into an uncomfortable yet doable position where he could carry her upper body in his arms whilst her leg remained attached to his so as not to be disqualified. He then began to run faster. He passed up Mira and Laxus who were both puzzled at what they were doing.

"Hey! Isn't that cheating?" Laxus asked.

"Not if we aren't separated." Zancrow remarked as Erza made a face at Mira. Distracted, the most powerful couple in all of Fiore tripped. Laxus faceplanted into the dirt whilst Mira somehow landed on his back much to his dismay. Erza however was laughing her butt off as she stared at her rival on the dirt defeated.

"You do realize we haven't won yet right?"

"I am satisfied as we are now. My main goal was to trash Mira."

"Well I'm going for first and I just got a wicked idea. Hold on tight."

Erza wrapped her arms around the God Slayer's neck and braced herself for what was to come.

"Flame God, Boosters!"

Zancrow's feet began to burn with black flames as his steps became even faster. He then shifted his weight slightly forward and they shot off like a rocked catching up to Natsu and Lucy in record time. Natsu was stunned as they sped by them making him angry. As the unlikely couple passed them by Zancrow made a sneer at the Dragon Slayer pissing him off.

"Fire Dragon Boosters!"

Natsu's feet were also consumed in flames and he propelled himself off the ground making headway towards his rival. The finish line could not have come sooner, but the contestants seemed to have crossed the finish line at the same time. When the dust settled Natsu declared his victory.

"I won! In your face."

Zancrow couldn't help but laugh his ass off. "You, win? You are so clueless sometimes dragon breath. Look where your partner is…"

"NATSU!"

Natsu froze in fear as he realized that Lucy was not attached to him anymore. He looked behind him to see a battered, grass stained, dirt infested Lucy glaring daggers at him well behind the finish line. As Lucy began to beat the shit out of Natsu for leaving her behind, Zancrow, Erza, and the rest of the guild couldn't help but laugh.

"Since Natsu was disqualified due to leaving his partner and flying, looks like you've won." Erza said.

"I guess technically…we won. This game was actually kinda fun. I mean, I did have an OK partner."

Erza looked at the God Slayer and was taken aback by the compliment. She smirked and began to walk away. Zancrow stood there and focused on the red-haired wizard.

'She's actually not that bad concidering…'

"Well? Aren't you coming?"

Zancrow looked puzzled. "Coming…"

"The bikini contest starts in a bit and I need your opinion on the garments I am going to compete in."

After standing still for half a minute like a dumbass, Zancrow smirked and followed suit. After all, who was he to miss a bikini contest?


	17. God Slayer's Change:Unexpected Relations

**CH17: Unexpected Relations**

Zancrow's probation had finally ended. He had behaved himself quite well within Fairy Tail avoiding confrontations with other mages, and respecting those who feared him. It was a couple days ago when Makarov announced that Zancrow was not walking on eggshells anymore. He could do as he pleased now within reason and the realm of Fiore law. Zancrow spent the past couple of days partying and sparring with his fellow wizards. He drank with Cana and Laxus, and decided to kick Natsu's and Gray's asses, both at the same time. But what Zancrow really wanted to do was take on an S-class quest. Sure, he had done hard jobs, but never anything this difficult. He looked over the job bulletin board and selected a quest called "Mercurius Raid." Apparently, the royal castle itself has had several soldiers declared missing over time with the posts that they were guarding robbed of anything valuable. The only clues the palace had to go on were several small mounds of ashes scattered throughout the king's property with a spike in the center of each. Each occurrence left behind a creepy graveyard in the guard's stead.

Zancrow was confident he could take on this quest. With his God Slaying magic, he could incapacitate whoever was responsible for the attacks on the royal palace. He ran the job request with Makarov for his approval. Unfortunately for the God Slayer, he still wasn't fully trusted.

"If you think I'm going to let you anywhere near the king of Fiore by yourself you're out of you damn mind!" Makarov said sternly.

"Come on old man, I thought we were past my probation period."

"Your probation has nothing to do with common sense. You simply cannot be trusted to go near his majesty on your own. That is why I have taken it upon myself to assign you a partner whom I trust dearly to keep an eye on you."

"Not Natsu and his band of merry furballs." Zancrow complained.

"No, even better." Makarov responded with a twinkle in his eye. "Oi, Erza, come here a second." He shouted to the scarlet mage.

"You…can't be serious." Zancrow said exasperated.

"If you want to do this job I'm dead serious. Erza will be your partner for the duration of this quest. Should you complete it without dying, you will split the reward with her as well."

"That's bullshit! I don't need a babysitter!"

"You have a problem with me assisting you?" Erza asked with a dangerous tone.

There were several paths the God Slayer could take. In this case he chose to walk the path of life.

"…No, ma'am."

"Excellent. It's settled then. You both can head out to the job as soon as you are ready." Makarov stated smugly. "It's a long journey to Crocus."

…

It had been close to nightfall by the time Erza and Zancrow made it to Crocus. They had disembarked the train and were now making their way to the Mercurius castle. When greeted by the guards, they gladly showed them inside to the waiting room.

"His majesty will be with you shortly." The guard told the young wizards. Soon Erza and Zancrow were left by themselves awkwardly in the massive marble room.

"Must be nice to be the king." Zancrow muttered.

"We need a strategy." Erza said plainly while not making eye contact with the God Slayer.

"Excuse me?"

"We need a plan of attack to combat these miscreants."

"Lady, we don't even know what we are up against. That's what I'm guessing the king is going to go over with us no doubt. Once we have some idea who we are dealing with, then we will formulate a plan. For now, sit your nice ass down and wait patiently."

Zancrow waited for Erza to get mad and respond with a sword to his throat but she didn't. He looked over to see her face crimson red. She was either emberassed, or really, really pissed. At that point the doors flew open and the "couple" was greeted by the king of Fiore himself. He was accompanied by four body guards all in royal armor. They exchanged formalities and the briefing began.

"Wizards, the last couple of nights have been puzzling to say the least. It all started when we found out a couple of our soldiers missing their posts on the south side of the castle. When we were unable to find them, we replaced them with new guards. However, the next night, several more of my soldiers were missing. This time they abandoned the east wing of the fortress which houses several of my most valuable collectable items; Painting, vases, and, well, you get the point. It was weird to say the least, having loyal guards disappear overnight without a trace. But just last night we got a lead. This time, the thieves tried to break into the royal vault. The guards posted there are nothing but elite so naturally they put up a fight and managed to sound the alarm. By the time we got there however, they were presumably killed."

"Presumably?" Zancrow Inquired.

"We found several mounds of ashes not too far from the vault door with a serrated purple spike in the center of each of them. We believe that they were killed quickly with the barb and then burned. But the assailants did not have enough time to hide the ashes."

"And you want us to find these murderers and prevent them from killing anyone else in your castle as well as safeguard your treasures?" Erza asked.

"Please, your guild is the top one in Fiore. If you all can't help me no one can."

"If they keep their current pattern, in theory they should strike again tonight." The God Slayer said. "We need to be shown our rooms so that we may get settled in before our night shift."

"And the location of your showers if you please." Erza added.

The king was more than happy to accommodate the wizards to their temporary sleeping areas. The wizards however were less that pleased finding out that the room prepared for them was in fact that, **a** room. It was massive. It had three couches all aligned neatly to face the entertainment lacrima which broadcasted real time showings on Sorcerer Central. The bed was a king size with half a dozen pillows. The bath area was about as big as a stagecoach, able to fit more than one person for… fun purposes. Zancrow though he was going to end up in jail what with Erza raising her voice and complaining to his majesty about the accommodations. It took four guards to stop a rampaging, fire breathing Erza from going near the king.

"HOW CAN YOU EXPECT ME TO SLEEP IN THE SAME ROOM AS THIS MAN?" The scarlet wizard shouted referring to Zancrow.

"Milady please, it is the only room in the castle that can accommodate you both with moderate privacy. If you prefer I could have you sleep in the female soldier's quarters…"

With that offer Erza dragged Zancrow into the room and slammed the door behind her. As much as sharing a room with the God Slayer horrified her, she was not sleeping in a little bunk for the duration of this quest. The king decided to let such rudeness pass since he did hire them to solve his problem.

"I hope you realize that you almost got us arrested." Zancrow told her glaring daggers.

Erza might as well have had a demon form like Mira because she looked exactly like a demon at this point. "And I hope you realize that if you try to do anything with me besides talk, I will cut it off."

"It?" The God Slayer asked mortified.

"It's exactly what you think I'm talking about."

"Whatever lady. Not like we are sharing a bed. You can have it all to yourself and I'll sleep on the couch." Erza was taken aback by The God Slayer's remark. She half expected him to at least try to flirt with her and jokingly say they would split the bed. But he merely put his suitcase next to Erza's mountain of belongings and crashed on the couch.

"I suspect we are up against a dark guild and not normal assassins. If the information the king gave us is accurate, they should strike around 1:00 in the morning. Get some sleep while you can, it's going to be a long night."

Erza merely nodded and went to her massive bed, wondering what she had gotten herself into.


	18. God Slayer's Change : Fairies and Ravens

**CH18: Fairies and Ravens**

Zancrow was looking over the scarlet mage who was asleep and mumbling something about a picnic. It was 12:00 A.M. and they needed to start getting ready for patrol around the castle. He grabbed Erza by the shoulder and shook her lightly to wake her up. Nothing in life is simple, and the God Slayer found that out the hard way. Erza in her sleep wrapped her arms around Zancrow's and flipped face down. The God Slayer's hand was now directly on her right breast with the only thing separating the two from colliding being a simple nightgown. Erza finally woke up, only to find herself being groped in her sleep. After judo flipping him to the floor, Erza reequipped her sword into her hand and attempted to stab Zancrow where it hurt most.

"I told you what would happen if you tried anything!" she screamed in rage.

"Hold it you crazy bitch. Ow! You can poke someone's eyes out with that thing!"

"I'm trying to cut off…"

"I know what you're trying to do! Now get off me!"

Erza realized that both were on the floor and she was riding him reverse cowgirl style, leaving her ass exposed near the God Slayer's face. She jumped up so quickly she almost hit her head on the high ceiling. Zancrow called her a crazy bitch again and ordered her to get dressed because the thieves would strike again in less than an hour. Still mortified, Erza changed while Zancrow waited for her in the living room.

…

Zancrow and Erza were patrolling the inner walls of the castle keeping close to the royal vault. They figured that the assailants could not avoid an encounter with them without jumping this perimeter. The wizards currently had the element of surprise. The job offer was hand delivered by the king's messenger so that only Fairy Tail would receive it. The royal palace and the guild were the only ones aware that the king had hired help to take care of this problem. As far as the dark guild members knew, they would be able to loot the castle again no problem.

To make things even better, the king let the wizards borrow soldier uniforms so that they may blend in and not tip off the dark guild members at first. It was a little past one in the morning and there was still no sight of the assailants; however, the night was still young.

Zancrow looked focused, deadly, and ready to crush anything that came his way. Erza on the other hand was flustered. She had been staring at the God Slayer most of the night and could not help but think about how much he has changed since he has joined Fairy Tail. When his probation ended, she half expected him to bone most of the female members of the guild or start a deadly brawl within the guildhall. She wasn't surprised when he went out and partied a bit, but Erza expected him to make many more stupid decisions.

"Paint a picture, it lasts longer." Zancrow said looking annoyed. Erza found out she had been staring.

"W-who said I was looking at you?" Erza stuttered. Zancrow smirked and walked right in front of Erza until his nose was centimeters from hers.

"Your face because it's as red as your hair." He smirked confidently. Erza's face was steaming hot now. To think that she would be caught in the act.

"I'm just keeping my eye on you like master said."

"Evidently." Zancrow perched himself near the ledge of the wall and stared intensely at Erza. "You know, if you wanted a date with me you could have just asked. You didn't need to come with me on this quest to spend time with me."

Erza couldn't believe the God Slayer's audacity. "Who would ever want to go on a date with you? Besides all the whores in Fiore?" Erza asked smugly.

"That's why I'm asking you."

"You ass…"

"Jokes aside, think about it. I'll take you out for ice cream, or we can spar…or maybe I'll take you to the meadows near the outskirts of Magnolia for a picnic."

'Picnic?' How did Zancrow know she wanted to go on a picnic? "As flattering as you are, I see you as nothing more than a fellow guildmate." She stated with a hint of red on her cheeks.

"The point of dating is to move past that mere guildmate stage in case you didn't know. Or have you even gone on a date with anyone before?"

Erza was silent. For a while all you could hear at the top of the castle was the wind blowing and the crickets chirping.

"No."

"Hmm, your loss." Zancrow walked away faking a tough guy act when he was actually furious. No one denied the God Slayer.

Erza was pondering the God Slayer's forwardness. Why was he flirting with her? Surely he knew he was playing with fire so to speak.

Suddenly, Zancrow tackled Erza to the ground.

"GET DOWN!"

(BOOM)

The two immediately recovered as the explosion subsided. The vault door was melted and the rubble around it was on fire. Off to the side he could see two purple spikes embedded into the ground where they were just standing. Zancrow then noticed two more spear-like objects soaring straight towards them. This time it was Erza's turn to protect them and she reequipped into her Heaven's Wheel armor. She slashed the two barbs out of the sky and sent them crashing into the wreckage behind them.

"The hell was that!" Zancrow yelled.

"It appears we are under attack."

"No shit woman. I mean watch where you swing those things! You could have sliced my head off!"

Erza merely looked at the God Slayer and smiled. "You're welcome."

Both wizards looked towards courtyard to see two dark figures standing in the middle. One was a female in a scandalous red dress revealing most of her breasts. She had long red hair and a crazy look on her face. The other was a humanoid purple creature who was buff, had a literal double chin, and was covered in spikes.

"So you're the ones responsible for the castles sudden reduction in staff." Zancrow said as he was consumed with black flames.

The dark guild members merely smirked. "Flare, be a dear and kill the blonde loudmouth for me. I will take care of the cute armored wizard."

"Sure thing Nullpudding."

Flare then ignited her hair and wrapped many strands of it around Zancrow's limbs like tentacles from an octopus. She then jumped off the balcony with the God Slayer in tow.

"Zancrow!" Erza ran in his direction but was stopped by Nullpudding who now appeared like a purple hedgehog. He was covered in spikes that protected all his limbs and weak points.

"No you don't. Your fight is with me lady."

…

Zancrow was barely able to get one of his hand free for his Explosive Flame attack. He blasted Flare midair and sent her crashing through the foundation of the outer yards of the castle. He landed right behind her expecting her to be knocked out. No such luck. In the dark he could see her face of surprise.

"How are you unharmed?" she asked.

Zancrow looked over all four of his limbs and remembered that he was immune to fire attacks. He was a Flame God Slayer after all. He just smirked as he began to charge up his Chaos Sphere. "This just isn't your lucky day lady."

(BOOM)

Zancrow looked hopeful that his attack hit his target. Instead, Flare leapt out of the way and counterattacked.

"Red Hair Storm!"

Multiple locks of her hair started to whip Zancrow mercilessly as he tried to block as many blows as he could. The initial impacts however sent him flying back through a wall.

"She's tougher than she looks." Zancrow stood up and saw that he was in a weird cavern that had a weird green glow to it. He decided to ignore it for now since the crazy red haired lady (not Erza) was darting right at him.

"Red Hair Mace!" Flare's hair formed a big mace complete with spikes heading straight for Zancrow. He jumped out of range as it crushed the ground he was just standing on. Zancrow launched a bombardment of black flame fireballs towards the dark wizard only to have them blocked by her powerful hair.

"Impressive. No soldiers have ever given us this much trouble before." Flare said.

At this point Zancrow ripped his helmet off and ditched the royal armor which was only weighing him down. "I'm no soldier bitch, I'm a God Slayer. You think your attacks are hot, try this on for size!"

Flare licked her lips lustfully and started charging at Zancrow. "It's too bad I have to kill you. After all, you are indeed really hot."

She struck at him with her hair with him easily dodging it and counter attacking with a kick to her stomach. She flew back and fell on her ass. Quickly she recovered and launched yet another attack. This time her hair shot a tempest of fire towards the God Slayer.

'How stupid can she be?' he chuckled. As big as the tempest was, it disappeared in seconds as Zancrow devoured all of it. With that, he was now at full power again. He looked at a wide-eyed Flare who seemed to be frozen in shock. Seeing his chance, he charged up his most powerful attack.

"Flame God Kagutsuchi."

(BOOM)

He pulverized her. He walked up to where her body laid on the floor injured, and now even more undressed than before due his fire burning her dress. "You know, you're actually kind of cute when you're knocked out." Zancrow carried her out of the ruins of the underground ready to claim his reward.

'I hope Erza managed to knock out that purple spiked freak without much trouble.' He blushed as he thought of the scarlet haired mage doing battle so fiercely. 'Guess she's kind of cute too.'


	19. God Slayer's Change : Shopping Letdowns

**CH19: Shopping Letdowns**

Zancrow made his way back to the top courtyard of the castle where dozens of guards now stood. He looked towards a small group of soldiers that had the dark guild member named Nullpudding in irons.

"What took you so long?" Erza asked smugly.

"Tch." Zancrow plopped Flare onto a stone bench and watched as the royal guards put her in restraints as well. He looked over Erza and saw many scratches on her. Some were on her face, others near her waist and stomach. "Looks like you had a rough time."

"I actually took the time to pry him of information. It seems that they are both with the dark guild known as Raven Tail and were sent here by their master to loot the vault."

"What were they trying to take from there?"

Erza stared in disappointment at the floor. "My interrogation techniques seemed to have knocked Nullpudding out before he could give me an answer."

"Wow, way to go. You need to watch yourself. You know you're in a league of your own and can easily harm anyone who is not on your level."

Erza looked at the God Slayer and smiled weakly at the small compliment he just gave him. She them felt a surge of pain in her side and started to collapse, until he caught her.

"Looks like he did a number on you. Let's get your wounds fixed up." Zancrow then carried Erza back to their room and broke out the medical equipment that was provided to them by his majesty. "I'll go get a female soldier to look you over." As he walked towards the door, a gentle hand on his own stopped him.

"No, Fairy Tail takes care of their own." Erza responded. Zancrow turned a little pink but understood the situation. This was a medical treatment, not a time to get horny. He applied the healing lotion to his hand and was about to put it on Erza when he was stunned to see her remove her armor, followed by her shirt. She was now before him in a skirt and bra. Normally he would have loved the situation he was in. But as he looked over Erza's cleavage, he was disappointed to see so many scratches on them.

"He really hurt you didn't he?"

"You forget that he is the one currently knocked out." She smirked.

Zancrow couldn't help but laugh. Even in the face of adversity Erza always managed to see the upside of things. The God Slayer then began to apply the healing lotion on the scarlet wizard's sides, stomach, and finally her breasts.

"I hate to do this…" Zancrow reached around Erza until he found the clasp on her bra. He undid it and let it fall to Erza's lap. The only thing covering her top now was her hands on her breasts. He then rubbed the lotion onto her exposed cleavage and watched as the wounds began to close. He then walked behind her and applied the lotion to her injured back. Now that she was topless, it was that much easier to apply.

"All done." He walked over to the sink and washed his hands as Erza got dressed again.

"Thank you." Erza was now back in her Heart Kreuz armor and she was blushing madly.

Zancrow smiled. "Yea well, hopefully you would have done the same for me." He said confidently. "Come on, let's go get our reward."

…

One…Million…Jewel. That's how much the reward was. Erza immediately started imagining the shopping spree she would go on as soon as they got back to Magnolia. After all, master instructed the God Slayer to split the reward with her. Zancrow on the other hand thought he would add another wing to his house, or perhaps a swimming pool. They both said their goodbyes to his majesty and took the next train back to Magnolia. Upon arriving the first thing Erza did was check her bags to be taken to her apartment. Zancrow merely started carrying his suitcase home until he was stopped by Erza.

"Where do you think you are going?"

"I THINK I'm going to go home. It's been a long day." Erza snatched his one suitcase out of his hands and paid for it to be shipped to his house.

"What do you think you are doing?" The God Slayer asked furiously.

"I THINK I'm going to take you shopping with me." The giddy female wizard retorted with a smirk.

"Woman if you think I'm gonna…" Zancrow was dragged off mid-sentence as the shopping spree of Erza Scarlet began.

…

Zancrow must have visited every shopping mall in Fiore. The only thing he found more puzzling than Erza's sudden mood shifts, was how she could fit so much merchandise into her shopping bags. She literally cleared out most of the dresses in one store, and bought so much jewelry at the next one they were stopped by police. Apparently, they thought she was robbing the place. Erza merely slapped the receipt to the cop's face and he sheepishly apologized for the "inconvenience."

Zancrow had had enough. He was tired of giving his opinion on how good she looked in every short dress she bought, as well as carrying her bags for her while she was as light as a feather prancing around the mall looking for more shit to buy. If he was going to be her chauffer and bagboy for the day, she was going to make it up to him later.

After much convincing he managed to convince her to go out to a very late dinner with him. They had wasted most of their day shopping that it hadn't occurred to them that it was getting late. They found a small bar in which they made themselves comfortable in and after ordering their food, Erza sparked conversation.

"So…shopping was fun." She quirked.

Zancrow just death glared her. "Eight, hours. That's how long your little 'shopping spree' lasted."

"But on the bright side, look at how many cute dresses I bought."

"…"

"And you were a very useful bag boy."

"EXCUSE me?"

"If you hadn't tagged along, I would have had to find another helpless male to carry my haul of merchandise."

Zancrow couldn't believe Erza's audacity.

"First of all, I didn't 'tag along.' You dragged me against my will. And secondly, this 'helpless male' decided to be nice and help you out of the goodness of his heart, not because you forced me to."

"You would have done it either way. After all, don't you fear me?" Erza mocked.

"You scare everyone. But when it comes to sheer terror, I think Mira has you beat."

That remark took down Erza a couple of notches. She hated to be compared to the Demon Queen. "Humph, at least I'm not all bad. Unlike you who puts out good vibes only to lure your helpless prey in so that you may violate them later."

"Huh?"

"Let me spell it out for you. You took care of my wounds so that I would owe you a favor, didn't you? And you were planning on getting me drunk tonight to collect on that favor weren't you!" Erza declared.

At this point Zancrow was pissed. He got up from his spot and glared daggers at the scarlet witch. "I was the one who said that I would have brought you a female guard to take care of you. You said 'no'.  
And you don't owe me anything besides an apology after all the bullshit you made me go through today. I took you out tonight to get to know you better, not to be insulted. I can handle your abuse, I can handle eight hours of shopping, what I can't handle is you calling me a molester!"

Erza was taken aback by his response. He simply turned around and left the bar.

'To think that I actually thought she was wife material. That bitch.' The God Slayer made his way down the sidewalk towards his home.

Erza stayed seated and downed the rest of her alcoholic drink. She didn't mean to jump the conclusions, but she had to be careful. After all, she did suspect that the God Slayer had an infatuation with her. One that was probably extinguished after her accusations. "Too bad, he was kind of attractive."

It was now midnight and the bar was closing. Erza grabbed her belonging, all thirty-two bags full, and started going towards her apartment. It was stupid. Worrying over a former dark guild member who once threatened to kill her entire "family." But she did have to admit, he had come far and improved his own image since he joined Fairy Tail.

Suddenly, she saw two men walking towards her from the dark alley she was passing by. They were dressed in business suits and looked dangerous. Lucky for her she was no ordinary woman, she was a wizard. She set her belongings down and drew her sword.

"State your business." She demanded.

The men just laughed, as more of their people came up behind Erza. Now she was surrounded by seven men. Then to follow up, a carriage pulled up alongside the henchmen and out came four more men with their boss exiting last. He smirked evilly as he waved his hand in a signaling motion. Erza reequipped into her Heaven's Wheel armor and generated a sword, one for each man who was there. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain at the back of her neck. She pulled out what she could only tell was a dart.

"Poisoned…" She said. As she slashed at the assailants closest to her, she missed terribly and her eyesight started to fail her. She then collapsed onto the ground as the last thing she saw before she blacked out were two of the men approaching her with a body bag.


	20. God Slayer's Change : Hell to Pay

**CH20: Hell to Pay**

Erza woke up in an unfriendly place. Last she remembered she was knocked out due to a poison dart that collided with her neck. Now as she looked around, she saw that there was nothing but darkness. The room she was in was fairly big, but mostly empty aside from a small bed, sink, and toilet. It was almost like a prison. The only source of light being emitted was coming from the small crack underneath the iron door that kept her from freedom.

Erza could not believe what was happening. Did they not see her guild mark? Did they not know who they were messing with? She tried to reequip into her piercing armor which would make short work of the steel door and her captors with ease. Only problem was, she couldn't change. Why? She was full of magic power so why couldn't she utilize it? Amidst the darkness she managed to see a faint glow on her wrist. She was shocked to find out what it was. The less than fashionable jewelry was none other than a magic sealing bracelet. Erza felt so helpless. She hated to not have control of any situation much less be stripped of her powers.

'This must be how Zancow felt when we kept him in the guild's cell.' Erza hated for anyone to be in this situation and she couldn't help but feel as if she was not the only one in this dungeon suffering. Throughout the halls she could hear sobbing and whimpering from many female 'inmates' followed by diabolic laughter. Erza was horrified.

'This must be where the human trafficker's horde all of their stolen women.' The screams, the cell doors being visited one by one with yells ensuing shortly after; Erza knew what was coming her way. And she wasn't about to give up her dignity without a fight. She took her battle stance as soon as she detected movement outside of her cell. Things were quiet for a bit until a green gas seeped through the vents on the floor giving Erza a face-full of it. All at once, Erza's legs, arms, and joints all collapsed leaving her to crash to the floor. She then heard the door open and three men entered the room. They were all wearing business attire, suits and ties, and slick hairdos. The one who appeared to be in charge grabbed her by her left arm and plunged a needle into her, injecting the green toxin that was within the tube.

"My, my, my. What a good looking mage you are. I'm going to take special care of you." The man started to take off the extra layers of clothing he had on; he took off his jacket, then his vest, followed by his tie. "Do you know why you are here my dear?"

Erza couldn't even muster up the strength to answer him.

"You are here because someone in your guild chose to be a hero. A couple weeks ago, my scouting troops found a very nice young lady who they deemed worthy of their time to kidnap, fool around with, and sell to the highest bidder. Sadly, that attempt was thwarted and all my scouts were killed but one who came to me with a message from the so-called hero. That message made me angry." He continued to remove his buttoned-up shirt and started to take his belt off much to Erza's dismay. "That hero was wearing a Fairy Tail crest on his right pectoral and I decided to get even with him. I know I'm playing with fire here, if word got out I was kidnapping female mages, especially one of Fairy Tail's top wizards, I would be a dead man. But, fortunately for me, no one knows you're here. Which means no one will come looking for you. This leaves me free to do whatever I damn well please with you. And after I'm done with you, my men here will get to have a turn. And once there is barely enough of you to salvage for a hand job, we will sell you to the highest bidder. I have an interested buyer across the sea looking to meet a perky little red head like you." At this point, the man was in nothing but his boxers towering over the helpless Erza.

"The gas is of a paralyzing trait made from a rare mushroom that grown in the fields of western Magnolia. The serum I pumped into your blood has a much longer lasting effect than the gas which will keep you immobile for the next couple hours. You will be able to cry, but you will not be able to stop me, or my men from ravaging you until there is nothing left."

Erza was petrified, literally and emotionally. She could feel her eyes start to water and her mouth went dry.

"Do it."

On command, the two men who were accompanying their boss began to strip Erza of everything. They already took her armor off upon arrival, next came her shirt, her skirt, and finally her bra and panties. Erza was completely vulnerable to her perpetrators.

"Do you know who I am girl? My name is Bora. I'm the mastermind behind all trafficking operations in Fiore. And the blonde mage you work with, he screwed me over the last time I tried to make a dollar."

Bora seemed to be deep in thought after he remembered what the God Slayer did to his last operation.

"Actually, there will be a change of plans. To make an example of you, I will not sell you. I will instead screw you and drop you off at your guild's doorstep with a message." He began to take off his boxers. "Don't fuck with my operations!"

(BOOM)

Down the hall the men all heard a huge explosion above them. Bora quickly put his boxers back on to make sure he didn't wander into a battle in his birthday suit.

"Shut the doors!"

He and his men locked themselves into Erza's cell. Probably not the smartest choice but they really had no other options unless they wanted to escape through the front where the explosion came from.

Erza was in tears. She did not know If she was going to make it out alive much less her dignity intact. She tried to move but she was completely at the kidnapper's mercy due to the toxins flowing through her veins. Then she heard another explosion, followed by screams of pain. She then saw Bora pull out a communications lacrima from the pants he was too eager to take off earlier.

"What's going on up there you idiots?"

"Sir, someone broke into our complex."

"No shit Sherlock. I mean what are you doing to fix this breach?"

"We're trying sir, but this man, he's a wizard. He's setting the prisoners free and they too are rebelling against us. We're going to retreat to the low… AAAAHHHHH!"

Bora watched helplessly as the communication was severed. His untimely demise was brought on by what Erza could tell were black flames.

After the communication was shot, the rumbling stopped. Erza could hear the cheers of the female inmates coming closer to their location. Bora began to spark his flames in his hands. Erza had no idea he was a fire wizard. His men both armed up with their guns pointed straight at the cell door. After a moment of silence the door was blasted open colliding with Bora's guard on the right. The door flew back with such force, you could hear the guard's bones being crushed as the door crushed him in between it and the cell wall. The other guard immediately began to fire at the smoke aimlessly, only to have his hand, followed by the rest of his body, incinerated in black flames. The guard cried out in agony as he turned to ashes not three feet away from Erza.

"You! It wasn't enough to piss me off, but you then had the nerve to pull a disappearing act as well? Do you realize how long it took me to find you here? You're lucky I don't beat your ass right now."

Erza's face lit up as she saw the face of her rescuer. 'Zancrow.'

When Bora snapped out of his shock, he threw several massive fireballs towards the God Slayer, all of which hit their target. The smoke cleared and revealed a very pissed off Zancrow. Not a scratch was on him and he was very much fired up.

"And you!" With lightning speed Zancrow grabbed Bora by the neck and shoved him through the cells thick brick wall. "Why is Erza naked?" Zancrow punched Bora so hard he sent him flying through a couple more cell walls until he broke out into the main corridor.

"I guess your man failed to deliver my message so I will be the one to relay it to you instead." Zancrow grabbed the now beaten Bora by his hair and lifted him up the make eyes contact with a murderous God Slayer. "I said lay off the kidnapping or you would suffer. But what do you do instead? You kidnap a fellow guild member of mine. My Friend!"

Bora was in tears but his pride refused to let him show weakness. "I should have ravaged her when I had the chance, haha."

Zancrow's eyes narrowed. "Let me show you what happens when you disobey a god." Black flames consumed Zancrow and he enveloped Bora in them as well. Bora started to feel the worse pain he had ever experienced in his life. He looked at his arms and realized his flesh was melting right off. He screamed in pain as he was literally dissolving into ash.

"There will be hell to pay. Flame God, Supper!"

Instantly the heat intensified. All of the fleshy parts of Bora were all but gone and Zancrow almost delighted when he saw his bones turn to ash as well.

The black fire went out leaving a small pile of ashes where Bora once stood. His job was done. He made his way back to Erza's cell and picked her up from the cold damp floor. All she could do was look at him with tears in her eyes. She couldn't move a muscle. Hell, she could barely breathe. So much of that immobilizing drug was going through her system she was completely at the God Slayer's mercy.

Zancrow merely smiled at the scarlet mage. "You know, if we're keeping track, you owe me two favors now." Erza tried to muster up a smile only to look like someone had hit her with a frying pan on the face. Zancrow began to laugh uncontrollably annoying Erza. Once he calmed down he wrapped her in her cell's bed sheets and carried her bridal style through the now former female captives who were celebrating their freedom. They all made their way to the surface of the structure and walked out the very massive hole the God Slayer blew in the eastern wall. They all gave Zancrow their thanks as they also started to make their way back to their homes.

'Zancrow just reunited many families and yet, he is so nonchalant about the whole thing.' Erza thought as the God Slayer carried her down the street.

"You may be a bitch sometimes, but you're my bitch. As wrong as that sounds, oh, you get what I mean."

Even with the toxins still in her body, Erza was finally able to crack a genuine smile.

"Let's go home." The God Slayer smirked at Erza and continued to walk through the night.


	21. God Slayer's Change : Newfound Bonds

**Warning: Lemon ahead**

* * *

 **CH21: Newfound Bonds**

Erza woke up warm and at ease. She realized she was in her bed at her apartment wrapped tightly in her sheets. She could hardly comprehend how close she came to being raped the night before. As much as she hated to admit it, she had one passed out God Slayer to thank for her rescue. Zancrow was in her lounge chair a couple feet away from her bed snoozing. He looked so peaceful without a care in the world. She walked over to where he was and looked him over. He was a little scratched up due to his rescue attempt yesterday but other than that he looked fine. Nothing a full twelve hours of sleep can't heal.

Erza thought about the very first time she had encountered Zancrow. At the time, he was a threat to Fairy Tail and had grown in power during Tenrou's seven-year time skip. During their battle, she remembered wanting nothing more than to kill him. He managed to take down most of their guild, her included. The only reason she was able to beat him was her motivation to protect her family, and a cheap shot to his scrotum.

But since that time, Zancrow had changed. He put himself in harm's way to protect the guild from Twilight Ogre when he was around, helped Kinana with her boy trouble, and became a part of the Fairy Tail family even now. When Makarov gave Zancrow a chance to make something of his life, she was against it. She thought he would never change and would betray their guild the moment he saw fit. But she realized that the reason he never pulled anything during or after his probation was because he actually became quite fond of Fairy Tail.

"Makarov was right. This guild. It changes you."

Erza blushed thinking to that time when she went with Zancrow to 'keep an eye on him' when he took that job for the king. They were quite the couple when around each other and fought as a team in the face of adversity. She smiled finding it ironic that the man before her would even bother to save her after all the thrashings she gave him. It didn't take much to tick Titania off, and Zancrow had been on the receiving end of many of her outbursts. She extended her arm and stroked the God Slayer's cheek as she admired his sleeping figure.

"Thank you."

"Your welcome."

"…"

Erza was stunned to see the God Slayer wide awake and looking right at her.

"What are you doing?" Zancrow asked.

"What? I, um, was, lost in thought!"

"And I suppose you were so lost in thought that you forgot to get dressed this morning." He asked sarcastically.

"…" It then occurred to Erza that she was still naked from the night before. There she was in her birthday suit giving Zancrow a front row seat to her assets as he glazed over her with a smug look on his face. She freaked out and began to wave her arms like a maniac.

"DON'T LOOK YOU CREEP!"

Zancrow got up from the lounge chair. "But I'll miss it if I look away."

"I think you have seen more than enough for one day!"

"It's your fault. You had to go and get kidnapped."

"And you left me by myself! Jerk!"

Zancrow wrapped the naked Erza in his arms. Immediately she relaxed. She didn't care that she was bare or that Zancrow's exposed chest was touching her own. She was at ease.

"I'm sorry."

"…"

Zancrow pulled her head back and went in for the kill shot. His lips were now in full contact with hers. There were no tongues involved. Just a passionate, enjoyable kiss. When Zancrow was done, he pulled back to see Erza's face as red as her hair. He just smirked.

"Now don't go getting kidnapped again alright. It took forever to find you and you're lucky I got there befo…"

Zancrow was cut off by Erza. This time she initiated the lip contact and decided she wanted more.

"Hoho, feisty this morning aren't we." Zancrow taunted.

Erza just retreated to her bed and laid on her back giving Zancrow a great view of her womanhood. Hungrily Zancrow stripped naked as well but once the clothes were off he hesitated. What was keeping him from pouncing on her? Fear, logic? What would happen once they crossed this line?

"If we do this, what will we become?"

"I guess we would be more than just guildmates." Erza blushed.

"Anyone can have sex. I like what we have going for us now. But if we go through with this, where would that leave us?"

Erza had to think about that for a second. She had never done this before and was nervous as hell. But she did not even consider the awkwardness that would follow once they had bonded. Would their relationship stay the same? Or would she be ashamed and push the God Slayer away? If anything, this would strengthen their bond right?

"I don't know if I'm ready for a committed bond yet... but I do know that I have never done this before and I want to give it to someone special. I think you qualify." She looked at the God Slayer with hopeful eyes hoping he would not back out. "I promise our relationship will carry on as normal, with an occasional visit to your place." She smirked deviously.

Zancrow swallowed his pride and took the hint. Erza was giving him her first time and he was not about to waste this opportunity. Titania was the queen of the Fairies, and the Black Flame God Slayer was about to claim her as is own.

Hours went by and Zancrow was on a roll. He would have Erza panting immensely. That posed a problem since her throat would dry up. He quickly fixed that however by making sure her thirst was quenched in the best way possible. Erza was also having a blast exploring the God Slayer's body. She would grab onto him as if holding on for dear life as he was ravaging her. She owed everything to him after all. Her freedom, her dignity, possibly even her life. Tonight however, she allowed Zancrow to take all of that and more.

When they were done, neither had the energy to move. Erza was cuddling the God Slayer as she tucked herself away in between his arm and chest.

"You know, if you tell anyone about this, I will have to kill you." She said with a smirk.

"OH? I'm sure my first thought after this would be to announce our bed activities to all of Fiore. I'm not suicidal Erza." Zancrow replied with a smirk as well.

Things were pretty normal so far. They crossed the line and they were holding up well. The fact that Erza was making her usual threats to the God Slayer meant she was fine about their newfound relationship. Zancrow however was still not completely sure if she would be all in. Zancrow liked Erza's spirit. She was a warrior at heart and incredibly strong. If there is one thing that turned him on, it was a woman who could kick ass in the heat of battle. But he wanted this to be official, not hidden. But he could wait a bit longer for her to make up her mind.

"We should probably head over to the guild." He said.

"Hmm, five more minutes."

Zancrow and Erza ended up cuddling for the next hour neither willing to move.

Fairy Tail. It Changes you.


	22. Ankhseram : A New Evil

**CH22: A New Evil**

"What will we become?"

Zancrow remembered this powerful question he asked Erza Scarlet before they bonded for the first time. And then the magic happened. The God Slayer had never felt so happy before. Exploring her body for the first time was perfectly bliss. But what were they now? Distant. Awkward. He didn't ask for this nor did he condone the tension that consumed any room when they were together. They had hit it off so well. At first it was awkward as was any friends with benefits relationship. But they worked through it. They worked missions together, took the same vacation days, and even lived with each other for a brief period of time. Everything was going well.

But unfortunately their relationship was only friends with benefits. There was no commitment. No promises that would keep each other in check. No one "cheated" on anyone else. But Zancrow could not go on without proper commitment. Ironic for someone with Zancrow's track record to desire commitment.

"Well, what do you say?"

Erza was stunned with the weight of the question the God Slayer had just asked her. Silence consumed the room for a good couple of minutes. Zancrow could feel her heart beating rapidly as she was trying to come up with an answer.

"I like you a lot Zancrow. But…marriage? So soon? I'm still so young and have many long years ahead of me to do what I want. What's wrong with what we have now?"

"Nothing…It's just, I believe that there should be more to a relationship than just sex, an occasional dinner, and shopping sprees. I can't believe **I'm** the one asking this, but I want proper commitment."

"…"

"If not marriage, then how about we make this official. I mean, practically everyone in Fairy Tail knows we are sleeping together.

It was true. Practically everyone in the guild knew what the two had been up to the last few months. But to slap a label, a title, on their… whatever it was… wouldn't it jeopardize what they had? Erza never expected herself to fall for Zancrow. Jellal was always the one on her radar but then things kind of just happened. After he saved her from the trafficking ring and worked their first mission against Raven Tail, her feelings progressed. But noting official ever came of their relationship. Mostly because Erza opposed it. Maybe this was their chance to start seeing different people. Their time together was unforgettable, but at this point in her life, marriage was not an option for Erza.

"I'm…sorry."

Zancrow felt like he was stabbed in the heart. To think the only thing keeping him from happiness was the pride and uncertainty of the scarlet mage.

"No, I am. For not doing this sooner."

The God Slayer left Erza's room as tears started to trickle down her gorgeous cheeks. What was keeping her from saying yes? Fear? Anxiety? Marriage was a big step, but why couldn't she at least become his official girlfriend. Maybe she was just in it for herself. Maybe she knew what would come of such a relationship. If she got pregnant, she would have to give up job offers for a while. Mirajane would probably never let her hear the end of it. The great Erza Scarlet reduced to sheer motherhood. She never considered herself wife material, much less mother material. Maybe one day, when she was ready, she would accept the God Slayer's offer.

…

A week had gone by. During that time, the Raventail guild members that Zancrow and Erza defeated were broken out of prison. Nullpudding was nowhere to be found. But Flare, she went straight for Magnolia. After all, she has a score to settle. The night was cool and rain was flooding certain regions of Magnolia. But Zancrow's house stood high and dry. He had just finished showering and was making his way to his bedroom when he noticed the atmosphere was colder than normal.

He looked around and realized his porch sliding door was wide the fuck open. Like whoever snuck in thought he wouldn't notice such a dumbass mistake. He raised his guard and waited for a precision strike. The tension in the room snapped as a bombardment of razor sharp hair lunged in his direction. The God Slayer dodged it with ease and counterattacked with a small fireball to minimize damage to his bedroom. But the fireball was instead extinguished by the luscious locks of red hair that had assaulted him.

The God Slayer stood his ground as the perpetrator stepped into the moonlight revealing a very pretty girl in a raunchy outfit.

"Flare." He stated plainly. "Here I was thinking someone dangerous broke into my house."

"You know, you could stand to learn some manners blondie." Flare kept walking toward Zancrow closing the gap between them until their faces were inches apart.

"What's the matter. Did you not like the comfy jail cell we left you in?"

"Yea, about that." Flare wrapped her arms around the God Slayer's neck and pulled him in close for a kiss. Zancrow gave little resistance. He knew it had been awhile since he had gotten some action and he wasn't about to waste this opportunity. He had so much frustration stored up from his separation with Erza he might as well let it loose on Flare. When the kiss was over they were both out of breath.

"I owe you payback God Slayer. You beat me pretty badly back in Crocus and you left me to rot in a jail cell. For that you're going to pay."

Zancrow smirked because he knew exactly what was about to happen. "And how, pray tell, are you going to make me pay?"

Flare's smile became almost as big as Zancrow's. She grabbed him by surprise and judo flipped him onto his bed which was just a couple feet away from them. Flare managed to keep the towel Zancrow was wrapped in leaving him in the nude on the cool sheets. She then began to take off her dress. One by one, her body parts began to become fully exposed. First her breasts, followed by her womanhood and lovely thighs. She then crawled onto the bed stopping in in between the God Slayer's thighs as a look of lust consumed her beautiful face.

"You're lucky you're hot. Otherwise this would be a completely different type of payback." She said.

Zancrow merely rolled his eyes. "We both know you don't stand a chance against me so of course you would resort to this. He then placed his hands firmly on either side of her head and rammed her mouth onto his elongated manhood. It was amazing how much she could fit in her mouth without gagging. About an hour went by and not a single second was wasted. There were perks to screwing a crazy woman because she could do crazy things. He would have her upside down, on her knees, and each position left them both wanting more. He finished multiple times in her mouth, inside of her, and the other "inside" of her. He didn't care, he was venting frustration and she was helping out a lot.

When they were finally finished, both were sweating waterfalls.

'Damn… I just took a shower too.' Zancrow thought.

Flare cuddled next to the God Slayer and instantly fell asleep. Zancrow however pondered whether this was the right choice on his part.

The next morning he woke up with a ravaged Flare next to him curled up and hogging all the blankets.

"Figures." Zancrow thought. He showered, got dressed, and left a note for Flare when she woke up. It basically said she could see herself out and to lock the door behind her. After all, Zancrow was in for a stressful day. He had to go to Fairy Tail and pick up a job offer. One that would keep him busy for at least a couple days. As much as he grew attached to this guild, nothing made it more unwelcoming than Erza. She didn't mean to make it uncomfortable for Zancrow, but the awkward tension between them was unavoidable no matter how friendly she was towards him. He would rather her just ignore him altogether than to be polite as if nothing had ever happened between them.

Zancrow rounded the corner and came within walking distance of Fairy Tail. Once he was in front of the entrance he knew something was wrong. Both doors were knocked off their hinges with some minor members of the guild knocked out cold in the hall.

"I swear to God, if this is Twilight Ogre again, I will make sure their guild hall resembles that of a homeless shelter."

But when Zancrow walked inside, the sight he saw surprised him. He saw a cloaked man enveloped in a black aura similar to his own. And in his right hand, he was holding a beat up, bruised Wendy. She looked in really bad shape. Almost as if she had been ambushed by a bombardment of boulders and was crushed by their weight. He was surprised of her current condition considering she was a Dragon Slayer and had a huge potential for power.

Opposite of the cloaked man was all of Fairy Tail's heavy hitters. A very pissed off Laxus was completely enveloped in lightning while his girlfriend Mira was in her Satan Soul form. Erza was off to her left dawning her Purgatory Armor with Gajeel and Natsu both ready to fight. Lucy had two of her keys out should worse come to worse. Even Gray and Juvia were in on the formation, ready to attack should the assailant even think of further harming Wendy.

Almost as if on cue, the cloaked man threw the petite dragon slayer across the room followed by what appeared to be a black lance. Zancrow ran and jumped off the balcony and intercepted the Sky Dragon Slayer midair while at the same time nimbly avoiding the lance as it rushed past them and penetrated a marble pillar behind them. Zancrow landed on his feet next to his guildmates holding Wendy bridal style. She was pale. She needed medical treatment fast.

The hooded figure then began to laugh devilishly.

"Now that I have your attention, which one of you is Laxus?"


	23. Ankhseram : Ferrous Nostrum

**CH23: Ferrous Nostrum**

How long had it been since Fairy Tail had united for a common cause? Phantom Lord. Edolas. Even the Tenrou Island War didn't get the guild this fired up. But this time, in Zancrow's arms was a bruised Dragon Slayer who was beaten half to death and the perpetrator was standing right before them. He was not about to get away with this.

"You all look as if you have seen a ghost. I will ask again. Which one of you is Laxus Dreyar?" The hooded figure demanded.

Erza spoke up. "You are in no position to make demands of any sort. Harming one of Fairy Tail's members to get our attention was a fatal mistake on your part."

With that remark, the battle ready guild members charged at the assailant.

"Fine. We will do this the hard way. If you won't give me answers, I will beat them out of you."

The cloaked figure stood his ground as the first wave of wizards blasted him with Dragon Slaying magic. Both Natsu and Gajeel unleashed their dragon breath on him making a massive explosion in the center of the marble floor. From the smoke the cloaked man closed the distance between him and the two Dragon wizards catching them both off guard. He formed his arms into iron clubs and nailed both Natsu and Gajeel right in the stomach. He smashed them both together finishing them off with one massive roundhouse kick which sent them flying directly towards Zancrow.

Zancrow evaded the flying bodies heading his way and decided it was time to lose the "dead weight." He set Wendy down against a pillar and decided to get in on the action.

Juvia and Gray's unison raid was not much better against their mystery guest as he merely dodged the Water Nebula and Ice Geyser while launching several Iron spears towards the couple. One nailed Gray right on his left thigh while the other nicked Juvia on her head. They were both out of commission.

The remaining wizards began to prepare for round two.

Lucy began to call upon Taurus and Capricorn but Laxus held her back.

"Wait." He said. The lightning mage looked directly at the one who assaulted their guild with disgust. To think that he would attack a helpless girl half his size while she was off guard. He was going to make sure he paid for what he had done. "Who are you and what do you want?"

The man then removed his cloak revealing a large muscular wizard who had rivets on his face and arms similar to Gajeel. He was tall, well built, and had a strange mark on his forehead which resembled that of a capital "A". After a moment of silence, he spoke.

"My name is Ferrous Nostrum. And I have come looking for the wizard Laxus on behalf of my master."

"Well listen up, Ferrous. You damn just broke the doors to my guildhall. You assaulted one of my best friends. And now you think you can just waltz in here and make demands to see me?"

Laxus discharged some of his lightning towards the heavens. "Raging Bolt!" From the ceiling a ball of lightning crashed down onto Ferrous burying him into the marble.

No one was convinced that Ferrous was down for the count, not for a second. The guild members left standing were on their guard. From the rubble walked out a calm collected Ferrous. He had a few scratches on him and his clothes were singed. But otherwise he looked unfazed.

"You are as powerful as the rumors say you are. It is no wonder my master desires you specifically."

Mira had had enough of this guy's monotone dialogue. He should be out cold right now after her boyfriend unleashed one of his most devastating attacks on him. She charged at Ferrous followed closely by Erza. Normally those two didn't get along. Today however they fight as one for the sake of their friend Wendy.

Erza swung at Ferrous with her Purgatory sword while Mira slashed at him with her razor-sharp nails.

"Iron God, Piercing Blade!" Immediately Ferrous' right arm turned into a sword that looked so brutal, it rivaled Erza's. He blocked her attack in its tracks and swung her around like a shotput and launched her straight into Mira sending them both flying back to join the knocked out Dragon Slayers on the floor.

He had no trouble dealing with Lucy's celestial spirits. After all, once you rough them up even a little bit they retreat back to the spirit world. Taurus was the first to be defeated followed by Capricorn who gave Ferrous a little more of a struggle. Once they both retreated back to the realm, he made short work of Lucy by merely giving her a blow to the neck which made her loose consciousness.

Zancrow was pissed. Not because his guild was knocked down so quickly, but because he had been the last one to get in on the action. But one thing boggled his mind; He was not unique. His disbelief was manifesting itself on his face. He had no idea that there were others like him that utilized God Slaying magic. He surrounded himself with his signature black flames and charged at Ferrous.

He first launched a right hook which was easily dodged. Then Zancrow jumped and gained some altitude for an air takedown kick which Ferrous blocked with his sword. Ferrous then used his other arm to land a blow directly into Zancrow's stomach making him hunch over in pain. As Ferrous swung his sword to finish off the God Slayer, Laxus rushed in and socked him right in the jaw. The Iron God Slayer found himself embedded into a marble wall astonished at the Lightning Dragon Slayer's strength.

"Thanks." Zancrow said.

"Let's just kick his ass."

Zancrow stood up and launched a barrage of black fireballs at Ferrous while Laxus unleashed his dragon roar. Ferrous knew better than to stay put so he got out of the way of the incoming attacks but just barely. The explosions from the combined attacks sent him flying into yet another wall. He got back on his feet and decided it was time to end things. Laxus was in a league of his own. He was already difficult enough to handle by himself. But with Zancrow backing him up as well, he had to tread carefully.

Ferrous inhaled deeply.

"Iron God Bellow!"

A burst of shrapnel and wind was heading directly towards Laxus and Zancrow but they nimbly avoided it. However the two wizards were not Ferrous' target.

Laxus looked in shock as he saw that the attacked he dodged was going full force towards the knocked out Mira, Erza, Natsu, Gajeel, Juvia, and Gray. He quickly turned into his lightning form and zapped himself directly into the attack blocking it from its target. When the dust settled, Zancrow looked in shock at an exhausted Laxus. His shirt was shredded revealing multiple cuts on his chest which were bleeding out.

"A wizard no matter how powerful will always loose to himself. In this case, your protective instincts for your loved ones have betrayed you. Had you let the attack hit your friends, you might have still had enough power to take me down. Instead you took the full force of my God's Bellow and have become severely wounded." Ferrous explained with a grin on his face.

Zancrow tried to swing at his rival God Slayer but he vanished and reappeared directly in front of Laxus. He turned his arm into an iron club and smashed the blonde Dragon Slayer over the head knocking him out.

"Why…YOU!" Zancrow powered up letting his rage consume him. He was about to charge when Ferrous interrupted him. In one fell swoop Zancrow found himself embedded into the same marble wall Ferrous was in not too long ago. He could taste the blood in his mouth and could barely make out the Iron God Slayer walking towards him.

"The age of the gods will start with this man. All the preparations have been made. Once the ritual is complete, Ankhseram will walk amongst us mortals and bring forth a new era. An era in which neither dragons or humans will rule. It will be one world, under the gods."

The Last thing Zancrow remembered was Ferrous picking up Laxus over his shoulder before he used his iron club to knock him unconscious. He despaired as the darkness consumed his vision.


	24. Ankhseram : Into the Black

**CH24: Into the Black**

Zancrow tried to focus his vision on anything as he drifted in and out of consciousness. He was in a small bed which was surrounded on either side by similar ones all lined up against the wall. He sat up and saw Wendy to his left being tended to by Porlyusica while Gajeel and Natsu were recovering across from her on their own beds. Lucy was still unconscious and to her left was Gray and Juvia who somehow managed to sneak into his bed for cuddling purposes. He then saw Makarov, Mira, and Erza conversing with each other.

"You're absolutely certain he said Ankhseram?"

"Ferrous could not have said it clearer. He said that after a certain ritual, he would bring about the age of the gods."

"But why kidnap Laxus? It makes no sense." Mira had a couple of bandages around her pretty little frame and her head was stitched up as well. She was worried about her boyfriend and wanted to make sure they got him back safely.

"It actually makes perfect sense." Makarov said overlooking Wendy with worry. He must have been very angry when he was told about her assault. But all traces of anger vanished once he laid eyes upon her beaten up frame.

"Gods do not live among us. But they are always watching. The kidnapping of Laxus leads me to believe that Ankhseram will approach his ordeal the same way wizards utilize magic. Certain magics vary in form, and how they manifest themselves in wizards. But one thing is always consistent, all magic power has a source from which we draw it from. It can be the ethernano in the air, or from a divine deity itself. Think about it. Dragon Slayers get their magic inherently from dragons like Natsu and Gajeel. While Celestial Wizards gain their powers by relying on their allies in the spirit realm. Whatever the case may be, that said power source must have a wielder to manifest itself in our world."

"So what are you saying master?" Erza was also bandaged up. Her wounds varied from small cuts, to purple bruises where Ferrous clubbed her.

"I'm saying that if Ankhseram attempted to take over the world, he could not do so alone. He would need a host body, something to anchor his divine being to our dimension. But it can't be any human host. The said body would have to already have unimaginable power within him as well as being able to host an immortal being. If the body is not physically or magically strong enough, it will disintegrate the moment Ankhseram attempts to possess it."

"But why Laxus?" Zancrow was attempting to get out of his 'hospital bed' to no avail thanks to a certain scarlet wizard holding him down. "Woman I'll…"

Erza shot the God Slayer a death glare.

"…" Zancrow made himself comfortable in his bed for Titania was not going to let him walk anytime soon. "Ahem. I mean, old thunderhead is strong and all. But with a warrior like Ferrous on his side, why not just possess him? Or me for that matter. Why not possess the ones capable of taking down gods?"

"That I don't have the answer to my boy. But I do know this. If we allow Ferrous to complete this ritual, then no human alive on this earth will be safe. This is the God which cursed the black wizard Zeref himself. If Ankhseram were to unleash his judgement upon the world, we might as well have stayed dead on Tenrou."

Silence was all that was heard in the recovery room. Fairy Tail's top wizards were in no condition to battle and they were possibly facing the end of mankind.

…

After everyone was somewhat recovered and awake, master Makarov held a meeting which concerned the future of Earthland. He spoke to his children and get everyone up to speed with what had happened, and who they were up against.

"Ankhseram?" Cana looked puzzled. "I don't think I have ever heard of him until now."

"It does not surprise me since most of you are way too young to even know about dragons who went extinct ages ago. The only reason we have to believe otherwise are the walking miracles known as Dragon Slayers."

Makarov looked over to Natsu and Gajeel who looked vexed at their current condition. They were bandaged from head to toe and looked like mummies.

"As for the gods, well, even I know very little about them. It is believed that they are responsible for our very creation, and the ground we walk upon. They are regarded as the most powerful species in existence even surpassing the power dragons. However, no one has ever seen a god, much less survived an encounter with one and lived to tell about it. But, Ankhseram is one of the four gods that we know about. He is mostly known for cursing the famous black wizard Zeref."

"No way." Natsu looked stunned. He remembered his encounter with the black wizards back on Tenrou Island. Everything that even came near him would wither and die. His pulse of radiating power was enough to knock him, Elfman, and Evergreen back a good distance.

"Ferrous has kidnapped Laxus and threatened to bring about the age of the gods. He specifically said the one that he served was Ankhseram. And should the ritual be successful, and Ankhseram is able to walk among us, I fear no wizard on this earth could stop him."

Murmurs were heard amongst the ranks of the wizards. And fear consumed the room. After all, how do you give a pep talk when the one the guild would be up against would be an immortal being?

"So how do we stop him gramps?" Natsu asked.

"Stop him? We don't even know where Ferrous took Laxus to perform the ritual!" Gray replied annoyed at the Fire Dragon Slayer.

A small fight broke out between Gray and Natsu that was soon stopped by none other than Erza. Leave it to the peacemaker to settle things in a jiffy.

"I have spoken to the magic counsel about this matter. There are rumors, old folktales is you will, about shrines that were built to these gods millennia ago. If Ankhseram is trying to possess Laxus, no doubt he will host the ritual in the most fortified shrine to avoid being disturbed. The magic counsel has granted me permission to send a party of my most trusted wizards to seek out and prevent Ferrous from completing his mission."

Makarov looked over his family and realized he was quite possibly about to send them to their doom. With a heavy sigh, the old man announced the objectives.

"We have one mission but different goals we need to complete to obtain success. Therefore, there will be two teams deployed to this shrine. Team one will be the main excursion. They will infiltrate the shrine, find and defeat Ferrous, and rescue Laxus. But above all, they must make sure that the ritual does not even come close to being completed. Team two will have a more classic mission. Your aim is to keep whatever forces Ferrous has amassed for Ankhseram amused for the amount of time Team one takes to complete their mission. In other words, Team two will be the distraction. Keep the enemies' eyes on our outside forces so that the wizards on the inside can complete their objective in moderate peace."

The groups of fairies looked fired up and Zancrow was itching for some action. He wanted to get his rematch with Ferrous. And to do that he would need to be on team one.

"Team one is as follows. Cana, Zancrow, Gajeel, Natsu, Wendy, Lucy, Happy, Pantherlily, and Carla. The rest of the guild is Team two. You will be led by my S-class wizards Erza and Mirajane as well as the Thunder Legion. During the battle I will oversee operations. We will deploy as soon as nightfall hits. With the cover of darkness, we should be able to move without the enemy detecting our presence. This mission is not to be taken lightly. Should we fail to prevent the ritual, Ankhseram will surely destroy all of mankind."


	25. Ankhseram : Storm the Battlefront

**CH25: Storm the Battlefront**

Within the hour, the Fairy Tail guild was well within the borders of the sacred shrine. With Cana's Card Dimension ability, it was a simple task to get the guild from their hall to Ankhseram's location. Once the Exceeds finished transporting the cards, Cana unbound them from her magic and a full-fledged wizard army was at beckons call.

Zancrow's eyes widened as he saw the fortifications amassed for the sole purpose of ensuring that Ankhseram's ritual was uninterrupted. As far as the eye could see, there were iron pillars each with a black flame at the helm surrounding the dark battle field. Within their light were Iron Golems, hundreds of them. No doubt they were the creations of Ferrous. Each one had spikes that were razor sharp on their backs, shoulders, forearms, and knees. Their eyes glowed a blood red, sending chills down the Flame God Slayer's spine. They all seemed to be guarding the only obvious entrance. Above them airborne were Iron Sentries. They looked like the Iron Golems only with thinner, lighter frames and they had two sets of iron wings resembling that of a dragon.

Once the situation was assessed, Makarov gave the "OK" for team one to deploy. All at once, Zancrow, Natsu, Wendy, Gajeel, Lucy, and Cana were turned into cards. The Exceeds divided their comrades amongst them and began to soar towards the shrine's northwestern tower which seemed to lack the most security. Happy touched down onto enemy territory, followed closely by Carla, and Pantherlily. Within seconds, Team One was reverted to their original human state. Cana gave the signal to their guildmates down below to start their "distracting tactics."

Fairy Tail was smart. They didn't just start beating up everything that was in their line of sight. Instead they began to do acts of sabotage. Laki used her wood make magic to drag several of the Iron Golems below ground. Max used his magic to shift the earth beneath several other golems causing the same effect as Laki. About twenty seven golems went "missing" when finally their position was spotted by an Iron Sentry. And then all hell broke loose. Erza dawned her Blackwing Armor taking to the skies along with Mirajane in her Sitri form and Evergreen. The trio annihilated the air forces with ease as the ground wizards handled the ground troops. They needed to keep the enemy busy lest they find out about their scheme.

…

Within walls of the shrine was Team One. They ventured down multiple corridors trying to pin down where Laxus was being kept. They saw multiple Iron Golems along the way and took them out as they came along. According to Cana, the more golems they encountered, the closer they were getting to Laxus. After all, a wizard of his caliber must certainly be under heavy guard.

The team managed to make it up several flights of stairs until they entered a massive room. The walls and pillars were carved with ancient markings and at center of the room was a massive throne. It looked as if it could seat a giant. The tallest amongst the wizards only came up to the armrest and that was once they climbed the marble steps leading up to it.

"This god seems to be a little egotistical don't you think?" Cana said.

"No joke." Lucy criticized.

"Impressive, isn't it?"

The Fairy Tail wizards turned their attention to the direction of the thundering voice and saw the Iron God Slayer himself, Ferrous.

"A shrine dedicated solely to the gods. And once my master walks the earth, he will rule humanity from this very throne room and erase all traces of resistance."

"Ferrous! Where is Laxus?" Natsu shouted.

"You want Laxus? You'll have to get by me first." From the ground sprung up several Iron Golems. But these were different from the ones Team Two were fighting. They were bigger and each had four arms that could morph into different weapons. Some had maces for hands. Others generated longswords that looked like they could cut through adamantium.

"Take them down." Upon request, Ferrous' golems attacked the wizards. There were five golems total, leaving one very ticked off Zancrow free to tend to his Iron rival while the others were preoccupied.

"I've been looking forward to this." Zancrow cracked his knuckles and assaulted Ferrous who had morphed his arms into clubs. He swung at the Flame God Slayer, but Zancrow was able to nimbly dodge it whilst counterattacking with an uppercut. Ferrous looked annoyed as he blocked the amateurish attack and sent Zancrow flying back with a hit from his club. Zancrow was far from done as he summoned forth his Explosive Flame. He detonated it a few feet in front of Ferrous as to create a distraction of smoke and ash.

"Iron God Lance! Demon Flog." Ferrous launched a bombardment of Iron barbs into the smoke hoping to nail his target. Zancrow instead emerged topside and landed a blow directly onto the Iron God Slayer's face knocking him back.

"Hahaha. Looks like all that iron is just for show. That will teach you to mess with the best you punk." The Flame God Slayer's smile soon faded as he saw Ferrous' smirk.

"Do you honestly think that after one lucky hit, you have won? You haven't even given this battle the least bit of thought have you?"

Everyone analyzed the situation but came up with nothing.

"Don't you fools get it? The longer you try to take me down, the more time it provides for Ankhseram's ritual to be completed."

"He's right. This battle is just a distraction. Who knows what they are doing to Laxus right now." Natsu shouted as he knocked his golem into the stone wall.

"The pink haired one is right. This is a waste of my time nonetheless. Why should I have to fight, when I can get you to do it for me?" Ferrous said smugly.

"I'm afraid I don't follow." Zancrow said.

"You think you are unmatched with your God Slaying magic don't you?"

"Well yea, kinda."

"Do not think for a second that just because Ankhseram cannot possess you, that you are immune to his influence."

"Come again?"

Ferrous extended his arm towards Zancrow, almost as if he was offering friendship. What followed after shocked everybody. A bolt of what appeared to be purple lightning shot out from Ferrous' hand and hit Zancrow full force knocking him down. The battles paused as everyone was looking at the Flame God Slayer wither in pain on the floor. The purple lightning enveloped him occasionally giving the group a flash of his skeleton, much like an X-Ray.

"What did you do to him?" Gajeel asked.

"While God Slayers are immune to being possessed by gods, they can very well be controlled as loyal subordinates. I have turned your comrade into a mind slave of Ankhseram. He will no longer be your ally, but rather the instrument of your destruction."

Zancrow's screaming ceased and for a moment he was dormant. He lay still face down on the ground, motionless.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Destroy your former comrades."

With Ferrous' order, Zancrow got up from the ground and turned to face his friends. They were shocked to see a horrific "A" embedded into Zancrow's forehead, very similar to that of Ferrous'. The "A" looked like that of a healing scar and veins were popping out from the God Slayer's forhead.

"With this seal, I bestow upon you, a lifetime of serving the gods. Now, tear them apart."

Zancrow powered up and with his malicious grin he began to stride towards his comrades, eager to destroy them.


	26. Ankhseram : Firefight

**CH26: Firefight**

All of the golems were either immobilized, or destroyed altogether. But the wizards had another problem on their hands now. Before them was mind controlled Zancrow who was about to attack them.

"Now, take them down!" Ferrous ordered.

Zancrow leapt into action and attacked the nearest member of his guild, Cana. He grabbed her face with his hand and began to burn her. Painfully Cana yelled but managed to break free of the God Slayer's hold by slipping her leg behind Zancrow's, and pushing him over it causing him to land on the floor. She looked herself over and saw some minor burns all over her beautiful flesh. Her flimsy bra was all but totaled exposing more cleavage than normal and her white jacket had been reduced to only the sleeves.

"Zancrow! Snap out of it!" Natsu yelled.

That got his attention. With lightning speed Zancrow was in Natsu's face and he sent a devastating blow to his gut. Natsu was sent flying but he recovered quickly as he flamed up and took his battle stance.

"What is wrong with you?" The Dragon Slayer asked.

Zancrow was once again before Cana. He grabbed her by the hair lifting her up off the ground and tore off what remained of her bra leaving her topless. He then slithered his tongue over her exposed nipples and started to bite them much to her discomfort.

"Nothing's wrong with me dragon breath. Ankhseram just reverted me back to how I was back on Tenrou Island. I feel it, he reawaken the evil within my heart, the evil I have been suppressing since Makarov gave me a chance to join your pathetic guild. You have no idea what it's like, seeking vengeance for seven years only to fail when the opportunity finally arises. And due to that failure I was then forced to join the guild that humiliated and took everything from me. You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this." He then tossed the card mage aside and stared Natsu down.

"What would Erza think if she saw you right now?"

Zancrow became furious. "YOU DON'T GET TO SAY HER NAME! She had her chance with me and she blew it. Now I'm free to do what I've always wanted. I can screw any women I want. I could take over the guild if I wanted. But most of all, I'll have my revenge against you!"

The atmosphere intensified and Ferrous stood on the side smiling at the whole ordeal.

"Zancrow, I knew you have always wanted to get even but I thought we were past that. We took you in, made you one of us even after everything you've done. Did you forget that?"

"I'll tell you what I've never forgotten. My humiliating defeat by your hands. You! A Dragon Slayer! I am above your stature now and always!"

Zancrow lunged at Natsu and their fists collided generating a mixed blaze of black and orange.

…

"We need a plan of attack. As long as Zancrow is under Ankhseram's influence, it will be extremely difficult to finish our mission. He is part of our guild, and we will not leave him behind until he is back to normal. Wendy, your magic can heal wizards. Can it free him of this mind control?" Gajeel asked

"I honestly have no idea. I doubt my Dragon Slaying magic will have any effect on a God Slayer, much less the hold of a literal god."

"You have to try. It's our only chance of getting our comrade back on our side."

Wendy nodded in agreement. When she was finished healing Cana, she would then focus all her attention onto the Flame God Slayer.

…

Zancrow launched a bombardment of fireballs at Natsu. He of course had no choice but to dodge due to the hierarchy of Dragons and Gods. While Dragon Slaying magic has no effect on God Slayers, Dragon Slayers are very vulnerable to God Slayer's divine attacks.

Once he was out of harm's way, Natsu charged at Zancrow hoping to close the gap between them. Since his fire attacks would have no effect on the God Slayer, his only chance was to beat him in physical combat.

But Zancrow knew what he was trying to do so he made sure to keep his distance, occasionally taunting Natsu. He would zone in and out of Natsu's reach often landing a blow on him on top of his fire attacks.

"How does it feel to be completely helpless against me?"

"I don't feel that way at all. It's all part of the challenge." Natsu replied with a smirk. He looked over to where Cana was. Around her were Wendy, Gajeel, Lucy, and the Exceeds. Gajeel seemed to be pointing at Wendy and then did a flattening fist motion which seemed to register in the Dragon Slayer's mind as "knock him down."

Natsu got the message. He put his hands together and conjured up his attack. "Fire Dragon, Brilliant Flame!" The attack then went straight towards Zancrow.

"Are you seriously that dense?" Zancrow questioned Natsu's stupidity and braced himself for a nice, hot meal. However when Natsu's attack was a couple feet away from the God Slayer, the attack dispersed into multiple attacks hitting everywhere but Zancrow. All around the God Slayer were pillars of smoke where the attacks hit and he couldn't see anything.

"What the…"

(BOOM)

From behind him came a devastating blow which knocked Zancrow from his pedestal to ground level where Natsu then landed on top of him catching him off guard.

Natsu then placed Zancrow into a headlock hold. His arms went under the God Slayers and wrapped around his head keeping him at bay.

"Wendy NOW!"

Immediately white aura surrounded the target area where both slayers were. Zancrow began to scream in agony as the seal on his forehead began to flicker almost as if he was struggling for control. Natsu had his work cut out for him. In addition to keeping Zancrow immobilized, he also had to make sure that he stayed within Wendy's healing spell.

"Nice try morons, but it won't work."

With a burst of his flames, Zancrow broke free of both the healing spell, and Natsu's wrestling hold. Natsu was knocked back while Wendy suffered the shock of having her spell broken. Gajeel just stood there shocked at what he had witnessed.

"The hold on him is too powerful. My magic alone cannot break it." Wendy said.

"No way. Then what are we supposed to do?" Gajeel asked.

"Perhaps if you were to strain his focus, weaken him some, maybe I could break the bind. I have no chance helping him while he's at full strength."

Gajeel cracked his knuckles and morphed into his iron form. "Now that I can do. I owe that punk a beating anyway. Oye, Natsu! You hear that. We need to beat some sense into Zancrow for Wendy to successfully complete her spell."

"Got it!"

Both Dragon Slayers were fired up and ready to tag team Zancrow. But their confidence wavered as his backup arrived. Off to his left was Ferrous.

"If you fools think I'm going to merely allow your scheme to take place without a little pushback, you're sorely mistaken."

Ferrous himself then dawned into his Iron form making Gajeel look like he was made out of paper mache. Every square inch of his body was enveloped in pitch black iron reinforced with rivets in certain key places. Above all else, he was covered in spikes much like his golems were.

"Now this is a fair fight." Ferrous smirked as Zancrow flamed up as well.

Fairy Tail's mission seemed all but lost at this point. They were staring down two powerful God Slayers, and every second they spent fighting them, Ankhseram came closer to his goal of possessing Laxus.

(CRASH)

From above the throne room came a dismantled Iron Sentry that seemed to have been sliced up with a blade. Following close behind it was Erza still in her Blackwing armor.

"ERZA!" Everyone shouted with excitement.

Zancrow was less than pleased to see his ex-lover and Ferrous wasn't too happy either.

"Erza, keep Ferrous busy while me and Gajeel take on Zancrow."

"What?"

"Just trust us Erza, he's not himself right now." Natsu said.

Erza looked over the Flame God Slayer and saw a grin on his face. This grin was pure evil and on his forehead was a branding. Her eyes widened as she realized that both the God Slayers possessed the mark. She looked at Zancrow with sadness before she reequipped into her Wingblade armor.

"I leave him to your then. If you kill him though, I will make sure you suffer the same fate."

Natsu shuddered at her threat.

"You can't possible expect to beat me you red haired skan…"

Erza launched Ferrous into a nearby pillar while she looked unamused.

"What the…"

Zancrow also looked stunned. But he had no time to worry about his brother in godhood as Natsu and Gajeel launched a unison attack against him. Both the Dragon Slayer's fists collided with Zancrow's ribcage and he also was sent into a nearby pillar.

"That was a cheap shot." Zanacrow seethed.

"Plenty more where that came from. We're going to get you back by any means necessary."

"Even if it kills us!" Natsu blurted out.

Gajeel anime sweatdropped. He didn't remember death being an option that he would choose.

"Fine then. Let's go Dragon Hunters."

Natsu nodded at Gajeel and both went charging toward Zancrow.


	27. Ankhseram : Mind Over Matter

**CH27: Mind Over Matter**

The battle raged on as both Natsu and Gajeel fought to regain Zancrow's free will. Once they bring his mental focus down as well as exhaust his body, it should be easier for Wendy to break Ankhseram's hold over him. The only problem was, beating him. Both Dragon Slayers had gotten in one lucky hit which disoriented Zancrow for a bit. But after that, it has been a one sided battle.

The Flame God Slayer had been making short work of his opponents. He sent Gajeel into the ceiling with his Flame God Bellow and blasted Natsu with his Chaos Sphere. Both Dragons Slayers were exhausted and were having no luck against him. At the same time, Erza was keeping Ferrous at bay, preventing him from giving Zancrow backup while they tried to give Wendy an opening.

Erza had little trouble facing Ferrous as he did not expect her to be this powerful. But she couldn't' help but notice the trouble Natsu and Gajeel were in and then it occurred to her that they might just need to switch dance partners.

"Natsu, Gajeel! I have a plan that I think will work. You both have to switch opponents with me!"

At this point, both of them were only too happy to comply. They immediately took over Erza's job in kicking Ferrous' ass and she went to handle her brainwashed ex.

"Zancrow, I didn't think there was much brain for Ankhseram to control. To this day you never cease to surprise me." Erza said smugly.

"What? You little whore." Zancrow rushed towards Titania and landed a hit on her side while she countered with an uppercut to his chin. They continued to fight as neither of them could get the upper hand over the other. Erza's Adamantine armor deflected almost all of Zancrow's flame attacks while he dodged all of her sword swings.

"This isn't getting us anywhere."

"I agree woman." Zancrow then grabbed Erza by her face like he did Cana and attempted to incinerate it. But Erza saw her chance now that she was at close range and sent a massive punch to Zancrow's stomach. He retracted in pain and held his core as if he was going to throw up. Erza then landed a couple more blows on the God Slayer. But by then he had enough. Zancrow outstretched both of his arms for one massive flame attack but Erza had one more trick up her sleeve.

With lightning speed she appeared inches from his face and went in for the kill shot. Zancrow was stunned as he soon realized that Erza was kissing him. When she pulled away he realized something else; She had reequipped into her Purgatory armor.

"I hope you can forgive me Zancrow." With one massive swing, Erza collided her sword with the God Slayer sending him flying towards the ground leaving a crater where he landed.

"Wendy, NOW!"

Upon Erza's command Wendy encased Zancrow in her healing barrier and began to attempt to expunge the mind control. Once again, Zancrow started screaming in pain, holding his head as if he had a migraine.

"I think I got it this time!" Wendy shouted. She certainly didn't feel as much resistance as before, but something was wrong. She had contained Zancrow in her spell for some time now but he still possessed the sigil on his forehead.

"Erza, I don't think Ankhseram's influence is going to be nullified at this rate."

"What do you mean?"

"It's almost as if Zancrow doesn't want to be released."

Erza looked at her comrade and took pity on him but was also furious. "Zancrow, if you don't fight against this hold, I promise you, you will live to regret it. Your putting your guild, and all of Earthland in grave danger. NOW SNAP OUT OF IT!"

Zancrow's eyes darted open and he struggled to gain his bearings. "I've never felt power like this before."

"It's not worth it! Come back to me!"

"Why, so that I can be rejected again? By you, by my guild. Tossed aside without a second thought?"

"If that's the way you feel that's fine. But we will never be able to sort out our personal problems if you don't think for yourself. Remember what master said, the only true power that matters, is that of family!"

Zancrow…was PISSED. He had been used as a weapon against his friends, and almost lost his chance to take down Ferrous. But now that was the least of anyone's worries. There's no telling how far along the ritual has proceeded or in what condition Laxus was in.

"I'm nobody's puppet!"

Zancrow took both his hands and placed them on his forehead. He then ignited them and attempted to burn off his own flesh. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" After a couple of seconds burning his forehead, there was a blinding flash of purple light.

Once the flash receeded, everyone saw an angry Flame God Slayer without the "A" sigil. Zancrow used his own powers to burn off Ankhseram's influence whilst knowing full well his own fire wouldn't harm his wellbeing. Without the sigil amplifying his evil side, Zancrow was in complete control of himself again.

"We've wasted enough time with this sidetracking. Wendy, stay with Cana and make sure she's alright. Erza, these bozos may need help taking down Ferrous, I leave them in your hands. I'm going to find Laxus and stop the ritual dead in its tracks."

"NO!" Ferrous yelled as he charged towards Zancrow. His assault was stopped short however by Erza who hit him with her massive sword like a baseball bat to a ping pong ball.

Zancrow found a set of stairs behind the throne pedestal and sprinted his way up them. By the time he finished climbing them, he decided he hated stairs. He emerged on what looked like the very top of the shrine. It had a ceiling and pillars elongated their way up in symmetrical formation almost as if he were inside a massive bird cage. He could see for miles in either direction. He spotted the Fairy Tail wizards on ground level handling the enemy forces outside while Mira, Evergreen, and the other flying wizards took down the ones in the sky.

He made his way towards the center of what seemed like an ancient rune. It had six points and each was connected to the other via carvings on the ground like an ancient Star of David, only more, methodical. He walked to the nearest point and saw a cloak on the ground much like the one Ferrous used to wear. But that was all that he saw. Cloaks at every point but no wearers to be seen.

'What happened here?'

Zancrow stepped into the rune and sensed immense magic energy coming from the center. In the middle of the shrine he saw a massive figure. Human in form but godly in essence. He was very muscular and had a lightning bolt scar on the right side of his face.

"LAXUS! Thank God. I was beginning to worry that the ritual had succeeded. But it looks like you took care of the goon squad eh?"

Zancrow looked over Laxus. He was shirtless, and his arms had weird tattoos he had never seen before. He walked around to make eye contact with him when he realized, there were no eyes. His eye sockets were glowing a holy white and his emotional features were neutral. Zancrow backed off freaked out.

"Laxus?"

(WHAM)

Zancrow found himself lodged between two massive blocks of stone. He turned his attention back to Laxus and saw him generating a magic circle in the palm of his hand. No doubt that was the attack that sent him flying back.

"What the hell…"

Zancrow stood dumbfounded as he felt the earth rumble with each step Laxus took.

" **Your friend Laxus is gone. With the completion of the ritual marks the dawn of a new age. The age of the gods."**

"Ankhseram." Zancrow stated with distaste. He braced himself as the god in Laxus' body began to speed towards him, eager to wipe him out from existance.


	28. Ankhseram : Man Fights God

**CH28: Man Fights God**

Zancrow darted out of the way of the bulldozing out of control Ankhseram who was now possessing Laxus' body. He collided with the stone bricks and shook the entire shrine once he made impact.

"Damn. He's not messing around." Zancrow said concerned.

The god emerged from the rubble and looked irked. Ankhseram merely extended his hand towards the Flame God Slayer and he went soaring back. Zancrow recovered in midair and took aim at the possessed Laxus.

"Flame God, Chaos Sphere!"

The attack zeroed in on its target landing a direct hit. Rock was blown everywhere due to the massive explosion but Zancrow was not prepared for what he saw next. When the smoke cleared, all he saw was an untouched Ankhseram. There was not a scratch on his body and he looked bored now.

"I landed a direct hit! How is there not even a mark on you?"

" **Did you really think that I would be affected by magic power that I provide. You, Ferrous, Shelia, Olga, all of you would be powerless if it were not for me."**

"You mean there are others besides us two?"

" **It doesn't really matter. In a few short days, the age of man will be over. I will be the absolute ruler of the world. And you, Zancrow, are already dead."**

Ankhseram motioned his arm in a similar fashion to master Hades when he conjured up his Amaterasu formula. A spellbinding circle appeared beneath Zancrow and he was paralyzed.

"What is this? …I… can't MOVE!"

" **Exactly. Now perish."**

Ankhseram's holy eyes glowed brighter and a cleansing light overpowered Zancrow within the circle. A massive explosion soon followed and Zancrow's body flew and hit the ceiling hard before falling to the floor with a massive CRASH. Zancrow was bruised, battered, but alive.

" **Impressive. I'm surprised you survived. I'm even more impressed that your body is still in one piece. Perhaps it's because you share my power. It grants a certain level of resistance to my divine attacks. But alas, not even your God Slaying kind can stand up to me. You're weak. Your title is all talk, and when it comes down to it, you could never slay a god."**

Ankhseram extended both his arms on either side and conjured up yet another magic circle around himself on the ground. Then he conjured up a magic circle in each hand as well. All the enchantments were spinning as if it were the instrument to humanities extinction. The whole shrine began to shake and the walls ancient runes began to glow a dim purple.

" **Unless a miracle occurs in your favor, you, and all of your comrades will die on this very day."**

…

Ferrous was at the foot of Ankhseram's throne. He looked worse for wear. He was no longer in his iron form and he had several bruises on his arms. His clothes were scorched and shredded but still he looked confident in the face of adversity. Opposing him were Natsu, Gajeel, and Erza, who also looked battered, exhausted, but refused to leave a job unfinished.

Then the shrine began to shake. The runes on the pillars and walls all began to glow a faint purple and the Fairy Tail wizards could feel the intense magic power emanating above them.

"Erza, go help out Zancrow. He could be in trouble. Me and Gajeel will finish off Ferrous."

Erza was hesitant to leave but the more the shrine shook, the more worried she became about the Flame God Slayer. She nodded and headed up the stairs that Zancrow took to the very top of the shrine.

"Ferrous! What going on?" Natsu asked.

The Iron God Slayer began to laugh uncontrollably and when he calmed down, he pointed at both the Dragon Slayers.

"This marks the beginning of your end. The ritual was completed. Your friend Laxus is gone. And my master Ankhseram now walks among us. Together, we will remake the world anew. We will bring about, the age of the gods!"

At that last remark both Natsu and Gajeel charged at Ferrous, eager to shut him up.

…

Zancrow was repelled by Ankhseram's magic barrier. No way was he going to let Ankhseram annihilate the world without a fight. But what could he do? Any attempt to break the barrier resulted in Zancrow getting launched back several yards.

"My attacks have not had any luck breaking through his divine barrier. If I don't stop him soon…"

Zancrow looked around him as the shrine was consumed with purple light. The runes, they seemed to be radiating magic power that reacts to Ankhseram's. If he could somehow tap into that same power, he might stand a chance at stopping him.

But there was no time to experiment. Zancrow needed a solution now. A crazy idea just occurred to him. He got on all fours and began to ignite his fists and feet with his divine flames. He had to make this attack count. His fire couldn't touch the god, so he would have to break through his barrier using his own body as a battering ram.

"Flame God Boosters!"

Zancrow shot towards Ankhseram with incredible speed. He was closing in on his target. Twenty meters, ten meters... BOOM!

Zancrow shot through the barrier with major discomfort and he socked Ankhseram right in his jaw knocking him back a couple meters. He ended up on the ground dumbfounded at what had happened. Immediately the runes purple glow dissipated and the magic circles shattered now that the wielder's focus had been compromised.

"I…did it." Zancrow said relieved.

(BAM)

Zancrow's body felt immense pain as he felt Ankhseram's foot collide with his stomach. The God Slayer was sent into a wall and he fell on the floor after.

" **It would seem I have underestimated the power you God Slayers possess. I promise you, I won't make that same mistake again."**

Ankhseram charged up a sphere of purple light in his right hand. The power of a god, aimed directly at Zancrow.

" **As soon as I obliterate you, I will resume humanities countdown to extinction. Your efforts meant nothing to anyone."**

Zancrow glared at Ankhseram. Was he really going to die here? He had survived a dark wizard, the breath of a literal dragon, and Titania's violent mood swings. Was he really going to die at the hands of someone he was supposedly trained to takedown?

" **Farewell."**

Ankhseram let loose his devastating attack. Zancrow glared at the attack, facing death head on with no fear, only regrets. He never apologized to Erza. He still had a score to settle with Salamander. Meredy would kick his ass if he died now. And Flare was probably in his house right now making a mess. He couldn't punch out without resolving all these issues.

 **(BOOM)**

Zancrow could feel the impact of the explosion, the immense power and radiating light, it was all too overwhelming. But it never hit him, so what did it collide with instead? He focused intensely at the bright light and at the center was a feminine figure with bright red hair.

'Erza.' He thought surprised.

She had dawned on her Adamantine armor and was doing her best to deflect the blast with her shield. But this was not the Jupiter Cannon from Phantom Lord. This was the power of a god. Little by little, her armor shattered. First her shield, then her shoulders, followed by her chest, legs, and half of her helmet. Erza screamed in pain as the last of Ankhseram's attack hit her full force.

The blast sent her into a stone pillar which she broke through easily and skidded across the floor like a flat rock skipping across a pond. When she finally came to a stop, she looked like hell. Zancrow saw her beautiful white skin covered in burns. Her stomach was all scratched up due to the skidding she endured, and pieces of her own armor were embedded all throughout her body. Blood streamed down from her eye sockets and her mouth was dripping the red fluid as well.

Zancrow couldn't move. Erza just sacrificed herself for him. But why? What had he ever done for her that deserved such compassion?

"ERZA!" Zancrow looked towards the stairs and saw Lucy, a topless Cana, Wendy, and Carla all running towards the half dead wizard.

"Don't worry Erza, you're going to make it!" Lucy exclaimed with tears in her eyes.

"Everyone get back." Wendy quickly enveloped Erza with her healing barrier and she immediately saw her body spit out some of the broken shards of Adamantine. "Her breathing is stable, but this barrier is the only thing keeping her alive."

"Do what you can for her." Cana said. Well deal with Ankhseram.

" **How curious. You all talk as if your friend is going to be all right. But truth be told, you will all share her fate."**

Ankhseram was preparing another magic attack. This time the purple orb was double the size of the one which was intended for Zancrow. It pulsed with evil radiance and filled the room with magic vibrations. The female wizards all looked so helpless. But they stood their ground. Cana had her cards in hand, Lucy had her Scorpio key out, and Carla stood her ground next to her owner Wendy, eager to protect her.

" **There is no place for you amongst the gods."**

Zancrow…Was FURIOUS. He could no longer endure the deity's taunting. First he sends his minions to break into their guildhall, then he kidnaps and possesses his comrade Laxus, but most of all, he almost killed Erza.

"YOU BASTARD!" Zancrow pounded his fist into the stone floor multiple times cracking it each time he did it. He was weak. Nothing he had done thus far had done anything to the immortal god. He needed to get stronger.

Zancrow became enveloped with unusual flames. These were not manifested through magic, these seemed to be generated from his pure rage. A sudden explosion of power surged from the God Slayer capturing Ankhseram's attention. Zancrow kept amplifying his power in hopes to start something. Around him started to form a crater, and the more power he put out, the deeper it became.

" **No matter how much you power up, you will never be a match for me. Only a god can harm another god."**

Zancrow knew he was right.

"I know. That means, I'm going to have to steal some of your power."

Ankhseram looked puzzled. Take his power? How? Zancrow charged up to the point where he finally had a glow of black light surrounding him. It was like a dark fog enveloping itself around a light source. At the same time, some of the ancient runes all throughout the shrine were lighting up, just like when Ankhseram was utilizing them. This time they glowed a dark purple, almost as if they were responding to the God Slayer's will to surpass a god.

Ankhseram looked stunned. Only he should be able to conjure up the rune's powers but apparently that wasn't the case anymore.

"This is the beginning of your end. You're going down." Zancrow exhaled, getting all the air out of his lungs before he took in the biggest breath of his life. He started sucking the air like a vacuum. One would think he was feasting on an inferno the way he treated this scenario now. What was he consuming? Certainly not the oxygen. Then what could it be? Ankhseram's calm composure was all but gone when he saw purple light being sucked from the runes, and going straight into Zancrow.

" **NO!"** Ankhseram conjured up a divine orb and launched it at the God Slayer but it was too late. The shrines ancient power was now at Zancrow's fingertips. When he could not inhale anymore, he swallowed and smirked.

"HAAAAAAAAAA…" Zancrow let loose his battle cry and took his power to the next tier. In one blinding motion, a pillar of black light expanded around Zancrow almost like a barrier and consumed him. Ankhseram's attack wasn't too far behind. It hit Zancrow's "barrier" and caused a massive explosion.

(BOOM)

The top floor of the shrine was almost leveled. The girls were protecting Erza from any wandering debris making its way towards them while Ankhseram stared curiously at the last location he saw Zancrow. Smoke and ash was all he could see for almost a minute. Then the God Slayer emerged.

" **This can't be…"**

Lucy couldn't help but notice the god's uneasiness. Then she saw him. Zancrow was completely enveloped in a black aura that radiated like the glow of a lacrima. On top of that, pulses of purple lightning were phasing in and out like a small thunderstorm. His arms were covered in strange tattoos similar to those on Laxus' body. Then she saw the real kicker. Zancrow's eyes were white like that of a god.

"Zan…crow." Lucy saw that Erza was conscious and staring at the God Slayer in worry. "What has happened to you?"

" **He has accessed the God Force."** Ankhseram for once looked angry. To think that a taste of his full power could be possessed by a mere mortal, inconceivable.

Zancrow began to laugh. He had done it. He could feel it, the power of a god flowing through his body. Dragon Slayers had the Dragon Force, and he had… what did Ankhseram call it?

"…This is …GOD FORCE."

Zancrow looked at Erza who seemed to be uneasy about his new form. Then he glared daggers at Ankhseram.

"You hurt her. And I'll be damned if I let you get away with it."


	29. Ankhseram : Wrath of God

**CH29: Wrath of God**

Erza was recovering from the divine sphere that had almost killed her. By her side was Wendy keeping up her healing barrier and watching over them were Cana, Lucy, and Carla. The pain she was in was unbearable. She had pieces of her Adamantine armor embedded in her body and sustained several second degree burns on her stomach, sides and legs. Then she took notice that although she was in critical condition, she was not the main focus of her guildmate's attention.

Cana looked stunned, almost as if she had seen a ghost. Lucy was also at a loss for words while Wendy and Carla looked concerned. That's when Erza saw him.

'Zancrow.' He looked different. The God Slayer was completely enveloped in a black aura that radiated like the glow of a lacrima. All throughout his body, pulses of purple lightning were phasing in and out like a small thunderstorm. His arms were covered in tattoos similar to those on Laxus' body. Then she saw his eyes. They had no pupils or any other defining features. They were just orbs of white light, emanating his newfound power.

"What has happened to you?" She thought worried.

Zancrow on the other hand was thrilled to have achieved a new level of power. Back when he first joined Grimoire Heart, master Hades was the one who had first introduced him to the concept of lost magic. He was infatuated with the idea and was thrilled to be mentored by him. Ever since he first joined the guild he had always admired the strength of its most powerful members, Bluenote and Azuma. He often lusted after their forms of magic, but master Hades a different plan in mind for him.

( _Flashback)_

"The magic I'm about to teach you is not just any lost magic. This particular form is an art that was created even before the age of dragons and is extremely powerful. You will not bend gravity to your will like Bluenote, nor will you become one with nature like Azuma. But you will gain power that will rival their own, and perhaps one day, rival that of a god."

Zancrow stared at Master Hades in astonishment. At the same time, he couldn't wait to start his training.

"You will no longer have to pray to the gods. With what I'm about to teach you, you can make your own prayers become reality. The magic is known as…"

( _End Flashback)_

'God Slaying Magic.' Zancrow was now fully focused on Ankhseram. All his rigorous training, his struggles, and even his failures have prepared him for this moment. The day in which he will take down a god.

Ankhseram looked unsettled and caught off guard. He was now in a fighting stance and did not know what to expect. Gods are the most powerful beings in existence, but they are not all-knowing. Zancrow with a burst of speed attacked him. He landed a right hook on the possessed Laxus' face and followed it up with a high kick to his chest. Every blow that landed on Ankhseram sounded like thunder ripping the heavens apart.

Everyone was stunned. Wendy had no idea that the power gap between Dragon and God Slayers was so great. But aside from Ankhseram's concern, he didn't seem worried at all. After regaining his footing, his calm composure came back.

" **Do you really think that just because you have accessed a portion of my full power, you have control of this battle?"**

Ankhseram literally phased behind Zancrow and collided one of his magic spheres into his back. Zancrow was not ready for that and the attack hit him dead on.

(BOOM)

From the dust came Ankhseram who seemed to have been pushed back by one massive hit. Zancrow also emerged from the dust and looked almost unphased.

"This is the power of a god." Cana mumbled in disbelief.

Zancrow developed a black sphere in each hand and merged them together creating one massive dark energy ball. He launched it straight at Ankhseram and it was a direct hit. The detonation consisted of black and purple light radiating for a split moment like a laser light show followed by what sounded like thunder.

( **BOOM** )

Ankhseram was in a lunge position panting. Laxus' body finally showed signs of physical damage. Where his body took the brunt of the blast were some minor burns and his hair was a mess.

"Now who's bowing to who?" Zancrow stated smugly.

The god caught his breath and pushed himself off the ground regaining his composure.

" **It appears I have been too soft on you."**

Zancrow looked at Ankhseram in confusion. Then he felt it. The ground started to shake and he saw a white aura surround the god.

(BAM)

Zancrow found himself in the rubble of a pillar which he had just broken through. What tremendous power. Ankhseram managed to tip the balance of the battle yet again. All Zancrow could do was stare in disappointment. Was his newfound power not enough?

" **Why do you look so surprised? Surely you didn't think I was a max power when you gave me those little scratches did you? You'll be pleased to hear that what I was using in the beginning of our fight wasn't even a fraction of my full power. But now, I could destroy with a single thought."**

Zancrow braced himself to be erased from existence but was surprised instead to feel that Ankhseram's power seemed to have dissipated a bit. He looked unstable. Laxus' body appeared to have been strained when the god used his full power and was now suffering the after affects consisting of a nosebleed, and sluggish motions.

Ankhseram wiped the blood from his face and smirked.

" **Oh well, that's what I get for going all out. Looks like simply erasing you from existence cannot happen due to the fragile state of this body."** Ankhseram then cracked both sets of his borrowed knuckles and neck.

" **Therefore, I'm going to have to beat you to death."**

...

With Ankhseram's newfound power, Zancrow struggled to keep up with the god. He managed to evade several blows whilst counterattacking with his own moves but the God Slayer was growing tired. His moves were now the ones that were sluggish and he felt himself short of breath.

"Utilizing the God Force really takes it out of you." He said.

" **Surely you didn't think that a mortal body could take the toll of utilizing such divine power did you?**

"Actually, I kinda did."

Zancrow knew he was out options. The God Force had its limits so apparently power alone would not be enough to takedown Ankhseram. He had to use his head for once. How do you takedown an enemy who is more powerful than yourself? He smirked and remembered back to the time Ezra sucker punched him during their own battle.

"Kick them in the nuts… or something like that." Ankseram possessed Laxus' body, which meant that currently, he was vulnerable to physical mortal weaknesses.

'I just have to break down his body without getting killed. Easy.' Zancrow thought.

He rushed back into the battle with lightning speed and managed to catch Ankhseram off guard. He grabbed him from behind and judo flipped him backwards into the ground making one hell of a crater. Then Zancrow gained some altitude in the air and summoned his godly magic power. With a simple motion of brining his hands together, he brought the walls of the crater together sealing the god in the rubble.

(BOOM)

From where the crater was flew an outraged god. He phased above Zancrow and flip kicked him down to the ground where made a nice hollow depression. Ankhseram was right on top of the God Slayer as he swung his divine fist towards his head. Zancrow dodged it and brought around his leg to collide it directly with Ankhseram's right arm.

(CRACK)

Ankhseram seemed unphased and blasted Zancrow back. He flew a good distance before he collided with one of the last intact pillars within the destroyed shrine's walls. The God Slayer was now exhausted. Every barrage of attacks he has unleashed on the god had little to no effect on him. His physical damages weren't slowing him down so Zancrow's gamble would have to pay off in the next revealing moments.

" **What was that? You tried to take me head on. Did you think it would have a different result this time? You're through. The God Force was your last chance to take me out and you failed. Now I will kill you along with your friends."**

Ankhseram increased his power yet again, like he was powering up for an attack. But nothing happened. The god stood in absolute shock when he realized that he couldn't move his right arm. He looked at it and realized it was positioned "funny."

" **YOU! YOU BROKE MY ARM!"**

Zancrow couldn't help but smile. "Thank the Lord… It worked."

" **What worked? What have you done?"**

"My gamble. I figured I would never be able to beat you in regards to just power. But, with a damaged host body, I figured it would be hard for you to use your divine powers to their full potential. After all, even when Laxus' body is at %100 percent it was barely able to sustain your full power even for a few moments. Imagine the limitations I just implemented on it by breaking his arm."

" **You dare!"**

Ankhseram extended his left arm in an attempt to blast Zancrow to oblivious. What happened next shocked everyone.

(CRACK)

Zancrow stood off to the side near the god with a deadly serious face. Ankhseram dropped to the ground in horror. Both of his arms were now broken. He was beginning to understand the situation he was in. With every permanent blow to his host body he would lose more and more of his capacity to utilize any magic power. If he generated more than his host body was capable of handling, it would incinerate and leave the god without an anchor to keep him on this worldly plane of existence.

"You lose." Zancrow said smugly.

Out of options, Ankhseram knew what he had to do. To think that he would be outsmarted by a mere mortal and be forced to end this whole dilemma in a draw. But a tie was more acceptable than a loss. Ankhseram began to charge up, more, and more. His power was going off the chart as the wizards stared in awe.

" **No, it is you, and all of your dear friends who have lost."**

The Cana, Lucy, Wendy, and Carla were doing their best to shield Erza from the emanating power. Zancrow just stood there wondering what the god was up to. Shortly after the Ankhseram increased his magic power, Laxus body began to bleed. First it was a minor nosebleed, but then his eye sockets started to secrete the red fluid as well and his flesh appeared to be burning up little by little.

" **You see Zancrow, by utilizing my full power, not only will Laxus' body not be able to withstand it leaving him dead, but when his body overloads on my magic power, there will be a massive explosion similar to the Etherion blast that will generate a radius of several miles. It will take out every living creature within this area. I can always possess another body, but as for you and your friends, well, you only live once."**

Zancrow frantically looked around him. He saw Lucy start to tear up and Cana looked hopeless as well. Then he saw Wendy still attempting to heal a battered Erza with Carla by her side. He couldn't just stand by and watch his friends die. Fairy Tail taught him the meaning of family, and if his family was wiped out, he would be a part of nothing. Being able to utilize the God Force meant that his chances of surviving the holy blast were significantly higher than the others. But what's the point of living if you are all alone? Zancrow had to do something.

In order to save Laxus and his friends, Zancrow would need to extract Ankhseram's essence from his body before the magic power forces him into a meltdown. If he allowed Laxus to die, Mira would surely kick his ass. Master Hades taught him how to utilize Lost Magic, but he had no idea how to perform a purge of foreign magic power. Then it hit him…hard! He remembered when both Makarov and Hades used their ultimate judgement spells, both Fairy and Grimoire Law. He had no idea how to cast Fairy Law, but the other one… he just might be able to pull it off. After all, he did see Hades use it more than once.

He assumed the stance and brought his hands close together generating a black sphere with a purple haze surrounding it.

" **Whatever you're trying to do, it won't work."**

Zancrow increased his magic power and rays of purple and black began to emanate from the sphere.

" **You and your friends are as good as dead. Laxus is beyond saving. And soon you will have lost everything you worked hard to obtain."**

' _Perhaps one day, your power will rival that of a god.'_

" **You're time has come to be obliterated!"**

Zancrow felt the climax of the god's power pulsating and sending shivers down his spine but he didn't dwell on it. He gave Ankhseram his full attention and cast his judgement upon him.

"GRIMOIRE LAW!"

Suddenly the room was overtaken with an overwhelming dark light. Ankhseram's power seemed to have dissipated and Laxus' body seemed to be more stable. What Zancrow saw in the god's eyes was genuine fear.

" **If you think you can cast me out with a mortal spell, you are sadly mistaken!"**

'Let's test that theory shall we?' Zancrow thought. He let Grimoire Law play out and do its thing. First, the judgement spell miraculously simmered down Ankhseram's magic power. Then it was followed by a monstrous bellow. The Fairy Tail wizards were shocked to see a holy essence leave Laxus' body almost as if he was being exhorted.

" **Impossible! How can I be affected by earthly magic?"** Ankhseram knew he had lost. All of his efforts to take over were null void, and he had a group of meddling wizards to thank.

" **You haven't seen the last of me! Mark my words Zancrow, although I will no longer be in your plane of existence, I will make you pay for what you have done!"**

Grimoire Law came to its conclusion and the entire room was blinded by the spell's light. On the ground Makarov observed the magic power emanating from the top of the shrine, concerned of the origins of the spell. The iron golems fell shortly after Ankhseram's banishment, and Fairy Tail had won the war.


	30. Ankhseram : Why We Fight

**CH30: Why We Fight**

Erza woke up in the guilds infirmary. She ached all over and had a migraine to contribute to her pleasant state. She saw Porlyusica have her work cut out for her tending to many wizards with the help of Makarov and Wendy. She looked down the rows of beds and almost every single one was occupied with a Fairy Tail wizard. The one whose bed was most well equipped was Laxus'. He looked terrible. His limbs were both in thick casts to hold them in place so that they would heal properly. His entire body minus his eyes were bandaged up so he looked like a blonde mummy, and Mira was passed out by his side holding his hand.

She herself wasn't fully aware of what had happened. She remembered Zancrow's newfound form and blacked out after he performed a "Law" spell. She didn't know whether they had won or not but the fact that Laxus was alive and in recovery gave a pretty clear indication of which side prevailed. Then she saw him…

'Zancrow.' She thought. He was lying in a chair with arms folded by her side clearly asleep. He had some cuts and burns over certain parts of his body with some dark bruises to compliment them, but the rest of him looked intact for someone who just fought a god.

'This looks familiar.' Erza remembered the time when Zancrow had saved her from a human trafficker named Bora and how he had stayed and watched over her to make sure she was okay. That's how their whole relationship started. She shook her head to get rid of her flushing cheeks and tried to remain focused on the task at hand.

"What happened?"

Makarov heard her and casually walked over towards the scarlet mage.

"Master…did we win?"

Makarov had this stupid grin on his face and small tears in his eyes. He grabbed Erza's hand and shook his head for confirmation.

"All of my children fought bravely. But Natsu, Gajeel, you, and especially Zancrow… well, you guys saved all of mankind."

Erza was relieved that they had indeed won. She looked the blonde God Slayer over and felt a sudden urge to hug him.

"Is he okay?" she asked.

Makarov took his usual pondering stance and smirked a bit.

"He's a stubborn one you know. He refused to get medical treatment until he was sure you were in stable condition. Even then, he made sure everyone else who was injured had a bed before him. Now I'm not clear on the details, but evidently he managed to overpower Ankhseram after he saw you get extremely hurt."

Erza blushed even redder than before. Surely Zancrow still cared for her even though they haven't worked out their differences in their relationship yet.

"Whatever happened between you two, whatever chemistry you took a break from, it's still there. I recommend once he's awake you both sit down and have a serious talk. Hopefully you can patch things up with him and come to a suitable compromise. Men like him are hard to find nowadays. It's not every day a good looking wizard like him would put his life on the line for someone he cares for."

Erza knew he was right. After everything that had happened she realized life was short. At any moment, a life-threatening situation could arise and wipe out all of existence. She needed to at least make things right with the God Slayer and put his mind at ease.

"You know, there was a point in my life where all I wanted to do was erase him from existence. However, in the years that he has been with us, he has almost become a completely different person. One who puts the lives of the ones he cares about before himself and who would risk practically everything for a guild that was once his enemy." Makarov left that final thought in Erza's head as he walked away to look over the rest of his children.

She looked over the rest of her guildmembers. Natsu and Gajeel were bandaged up as well and were bickering over some small detail about who made Ferrous give up and "sent him packin." Apparently he had managed to get away in all the confusion. She smiled when she saw a completely helpless bandaged Gray being coddled by Juvia who somehow managed to fit in the small infirmary bed with her "beloved." Thought he struggled, he was not about to shake off the water woman.

'It seems that things are going to be back to normal. With every challenge we have ever faced, no matter how difficult it seems at the moment, the aftermath is more than worth fighting for.' Erza smiled as she grabbed Zancrow's hand with both of hers, and drifted into sleep.

…

"HE DID WHAT?"

About a week went by and Laxus had made a remarkable recovery. Being a Dragon Slayer it was no surprise that he would be able to heal remarkably faster than other guildmembers. However, even in his current state he was in a wheelchair and his right arm was still in a cast along with certain strategically placed bandaged around his torso.

"Now now Laxus, he did save your life after all." Mira was rolling her boyfriend around the guild and it was just now revealed to him that his current state was Zancrow's fault. It might have slipped from a clueless Lucy who had no idea Laxus was in her proximity and could hear her."

"BUT DID HE HAVE TO BREAK BOTH OF MY ARMS? I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!"

Zancrow was sitting with Erza in the dining hall and he was a little nervous of the Thunder Dragon's temper. But Laxus was an angel compared to a raging Makarov. Master came around to where Zancrow was sitting and grabbed him by his earlobe whilst being surrounded by his giant aura.

"Not if I get to him first."

Makarov walked into the mess hall looking irked and stared directly at Zancrow.

"I realize you helped save the world and several of my children during the war against Ankhseram. You weren't in too bad a shape when you came back but nevertheless I let you recover. I've been taking it easy on you for the last week but now that you're all better it looks like you can take my punishment. That being said… DID YOU REALLY THINK THAT I WOULDN'T NOTICE YOU USING GRIMOIRE LAW DURING THAT BATTLE? YOU GOT A LOT OF NERVE USING A DARK SPELL WHILE IN MY GUILD YOU LITTLE PUNK!"

Everyone in the guild was laughing as Makarov emerged in his giant form while Zancrow evaded being grabbed and shook like a salt shaker. Things were indeed back to normal. He and Erza made up and came to an understanding of what they were. They both agreed marriage was out of the picture for a while at least so they decided to make their relationship official and public. This was nothing new as more than half the guild knew that they both had feelings for each other.

With everything that has happened, the ones who had returned from Tenrou Island have not had a chance to catch up with the members that stayed behind. Zancrow heard about some nonsense of Natsu getting his ass handed to him by Max. MAX of all people. Pathetic. The God Slayer knew rumors in the guild were spreading. Rumors about joining some dumb tournament that will re-establish Fairy Tail as the number one guild in Fiore again. Was that really necessary?

Zancrow was not the only one who was skeptical about this tournament. Most of Fairy Tail doubted they could pull it off until they heard what the prize was.

"30,000,000 JEWEL." Makarov exclaimed at the top of his lungs. "Imagine the guildhall we could build with that pretty penny! I will send the paperwork to Crocus immediately assembling the teams that we will partake with. Oye, listen up my children. Starting now, we will begin training to be able to compete with Fiore's top guilds. When this tournament is over, Fairy Tail will once again be number one!"

Cheers ensued from the guildhall's walls and the wizards were motivated to become even stronger.


	31. Magic Games: For All The Time We Missed

**CH31: For All the Time We Missed**

This has not been Zancrow's day. First it was announced privately that he Laxus, Mira, Gajeel, Cana, Jellal, and Juvia would be on Fairy Tail's "B" team. Not the main team… but the "B" team! Unbelievable. Then on their first day of training, Lucy's spirits claimed that their realm was on the verge of destruction. That proved to be false. Turns out they just wanted to throw a surprise party celebrating the guild's triumph over Ankhseram. The gesture itself was nice. But one would think that details such as "one day in the spirit world equals three months normal time" would be mentioned beforehand. Especially since the only time the guild had to train was exactly that… three months!

To top it all off, he and some other Fairy Tail wizards have been summoned to a nearby forest upon request from none other than Jellal. That meant that his cheerleading squad would not be far behind. Sure enough, both Ultear and Meredy emerged from the shadows in the forest. As if things couldn't get any worse. They did.

Almost immediately Zancrow could feel the awkward tension in the air not just between him and Meredy, but Erza and Jellal. Erza rarely mentioned the blue haired wizard but when she did it was almost always in a depressed tone of voice. Whatever happened between them was of the past, but Erza seemed to hold onto false hope. Guess it's something she will have to sort out herself.

Zancrow was the only one in Fairy Tail who was already aware of Jellal's unofficial guild, Crime Sorcière. After all, he did run into them when he was first going to join Fairy Tail. They explained their intentions of fighting against Zeref and any dark guilds that use his power. That's what this whole meeting was about, Zeref. Jellal needed Fairy Tail's help in determining the source of a magical anomaly similar to Zeref's magic that they have sensed around the Grand Magic Games arena. Why would it originate there? Who was behind it? If they worked together they would have a better chance to find out.

To get one of their memebers on the inside action Jellal proposed to masquerade as Mystogan and join Fairy Tails team "B". He looked exactly like Edolas' Mystogan so Zancrow honestly thought it was a good idea. The preparations were made and the plans to expose Zeref's anomaly were reviewed.

Both guilds were confident in their missions, which was to win the Grand Magic Games, and save the populace from Zeref's evil influence.

Words were exchanged between him and Meredy. She asked how long he and Erza have been together and how it even happened. Zancrow merely shrugged it off and said it was a long story. When Erza wasn't looking Meredy planted a small kiss on the God Slayer's cheek and made her way back to Ultear. Clearly she still harbored feelings for him. But Erza was Zancrow's woman now. And Meredy would have to deal with it.

In exchange for Fairy Tail's help, Ultear would use her magic known as "Second Origin" to double the wizard's powers. She didn't bother to sugar coat it. The process would be long, extremely painful, and not fun to go through.

Natsu and his crew soon started the process and he decided that after seeing Salamander on the floor squirming in pain, he decided the God Force was all the power he would ever need and began to walk away. Erza had different plans in mind for him.

"If you don't get stronger, you will fail to represent our guild adequately. And frankly, I can't stand being stronger than the man I'm seeing."

Awkward tension filled the air again and Zancrow hesitated but ultimately agreed to amplify his power. After a long time of enduring excruciating pain, it was over. Both him and his Fairy Tail guildmates stood up and examined themselves. Not much noticeable difference except for the fact that their magic energy was amplified. Surely this extra power would bag them first place.

…

"Of all, the rotten, luck." Zancrow was sweating bullets. Raven Tail? Competing? That means that SHE would be here.

"It's okay. We beat them before, and we can do it again." Erza chimed in.

"That's… not what I'm worried about." Zancrow made eye contact with Flare Corona who blew a kiss at the God Slayer, immediately capturing Titania's attention.

"Zancrow…" Erza was frowning at the dark mage but Zancrow could feel her glaring daggers at him.

"It was a while back Erza. We weren't even together at the time. Ever since we fought them the first time she has kind of taken a liking to me…"

Erza's hand crushed the head of the railing she was holding onto. Zancrow immediately took the hint and went off to look for some popcorn. After all his match up wasn't for a couple rounds and he knew for a fact that he wasn't safe as long as he was in Erza's proximity.

So far the teams announced to partake in the Grand Magic Games consisted of Fairy Tail team A, Quatro Cerberus, Mermaid Heel, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, Raven Tail, Fairy Tail team B, and Sabertooth. Apparently they were the team to beat. They have come in first every year during the seven years Fairy Tail lacked their most powerful wizards.

"Guess we'll have to take them down a couple of notches. Hehehe." Zancrow chuckled. "Now where is that popcorn?"

…

How embarrassing. Fairy Tail came in last place on both A and B teams. Botth Gray and Juvia got their butts handed to them by Nullpudding and then Sabertooth's Rufus changed the game when he used his memory make magic. Not only that but when Lucy faced off against Flare, she lost as well. Makarov naturally accused Ivan of cheating but no proof could be found. Therefore victory was awarded to Flare while Lucy remained passed out and motionless on the arena's floor.

"These matches are relentless…" Zancrow couldn't help but ponder that the odds were against them. So far they had no moral support until Natsu and Gajeel beat Sting in the chariot races. There was no more booing of the Fairy Tail guild but support from the crowd was scarce. Raven Tail seemed to be out to destroy them while Sabertooth seemed to be out to humiliate them. Either way, two powerful guilds had it in for Fairy Tail, and Zancrow was about to crush them. Or at least he was before his teammates beat him to the punch.

Both Erza and Cana won their competitions earning great praise from the crowd. Laxus managed to take out all of Raven Tail by himself exposing Alexei as their guildmaster Ivan all along earning the guild a swift disqualification. Fairy Tail was making a swift comeback in this competition and all of Fiore was about to know it.

…

Wendy was still recovering from her injuries courtesy of Raven Tail. Apparently Obra had drained her of all her magic power leaving her in a catatonic state. To make things even more accommodating for her, during Elfman's matchup against Bacchus several hired mercenaries broke into the infirmary she was in and attempted to kidnap her. Their efforts however were thwarted by Natsu.

To make matters worse, Wendy was supposed to go up against Lamia Scale's Shelia Blendy. So far most of Fairy Tail's team A and B participants have battled. All but Zancrow. With Wendy being in the state she was in, someone had to sub in for her.

"Zancrow, you're up." Makarov stated plainly. "Hit her hard and fast, but most of all… don't kill her."

The rest of the guild anime sweat dropped. Master wanted to win, but he didn't want Zancrow to send that poor guild to the hospital either.

"Fine." The God Slayer made his way to the arena where he was greeted by cheers from adoring fans. On the field was Shelia waiting to meet her opponent. Olga observed from the stands curious to what Zancrow had in store for them. To think that the other two God Slayers in existence would be gathered here in a place like this. Ankhseram told Zancrow about their existence during the battle of the shrine. But he had no idea he was going to encounter them this soon.

"What's this? I thought I was going to fight Wendy." Shelia sounded disappointed that her dragon counterpart would not be competing in this battle.

Zancrow calmly pointed towards the announcer who immediately was filled in to what was going on.

"Sorry folks. Due to extensive injuries, Wendy Marvell will not be participating in this match. Taking her place however is Fairy Tail's Zancrow."

The God Slayer looked at his opponent unamused. She looked arrogant, cocky, and to top it all off her personality was annoying. He couldn't wait to crush her.

"I wish you luck. You're going to need it." Shelia taunted Zancrow further by blowing kiss his way. Why did Zancrow attract all the weirdos?

The match began and Shelia was quick to attack. She use the wind to zoom beside Zancrow at an astonishing speed.

"Oh northern wind become the breath of a god who races across the land. Sky God, Boreas!"

Zancrow shielded himself by using his cross guard technique but the wind attack send him flying backwards. Zancrow recovered fairly well and tried to get his bearings. He saw Shelia coming straight for him.

"Wind o wind, rouse the sky, and rip the land asunder. Sky God Dance!"

A geyser of wind emanated from the petite girl and launched him vertically into the sky.

"Now for the fun part." Shelia rose to the altitude Zancrow was at and she launched several devastating punches. Some collided with his ribcage, others on his chest. The last blow sent him flying into the wall of the arena. The audience gawked in awe.

"Unbelievable. Lamia Scale's Shelia just embedded Fairy Tail's Zancrow into the wall of the arena. To think that there would be such a difference in their magic power." The announcer summarized.

Shelia took the time to wave at the audience. Fans were going wild but Fairy Tail knew Zancrow was far from out.

"She can't compare to him." Erza smirked from above the stands where the rest of Fairy Tail was observing.

Natsu and Gray smugly smiled, silently agreeing with Erza as the dust settled below them.

The sound of moving rubble emanated through the stadium and up from the broken stone of the wall rose up a pissed off Zancrow. Shelia looked petrified.

"H-how are you standing? Every attack I unleashed hit you dead on… so how is it you're still on your feet?

"It's repulsive…"

"…"

"To think that such powerful magic could be wielded by a child. Do you have any idea what I went through to obtain my power. How many hurdles Hades made me leap through to obtain the power of a god. And then you come along thinking you are hot shit because you utilize the same type of magic. Let me tell you something, you're nothing compared to me!"

"What… power of a god? Same type of magic? What do you mean?"

"Oh, that's right, you have no idea what kind of power I wield do you? Allow me to show you to the epidemy of fear."

Zancrow began to power up and the arena began to shake. The audience was hushed as they observed in awe the black aura that consumed Zancrow in no time at all.

"Black…flames?" Shelia looked petrified. She herself had no idea that there was more than two people who utilize this kind of magic.

"This can't be…" Olga thought to himself within the Sabretooth's stand.

"Behold, the power of a Black Flame God Slayer!"

Shelia clenched her fists. She never felt power like this before. What could she do?

"I hope you enjoyed your premature victory wave. Because from this point forward I'm going to pound you into the dust. And not in a fun way."

Shelia didn't even have time to react as Zancrow phased in front of her catching her off guard. He grabbed her by the face and slammed her whole body into the dirt arena.

"You made a grave mistake underestimating me. You better make peace with your own fast. Because at this point even the gods couldn't save you.

"Flame God…"

Shelia braced herself for the devastating attack.


	32. Magic Games: Buried Beneath

**CH32: Buried Beneath**

Zancrow slammed Shelia into the ground and he enjoyed every moment of it.

"Flame God, Explosive Flame!"

A pillar of fire shot up from where both God Slayers were. And it was hot! The heat emanated throughout the stadium as Makarov looked on.

"ZANCROW WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Makarov was waving his arms in panic up in the stands. Sure he wanted Fairy Tail to win this round, but he didn't want Zancrow to kill the poor girl.

"Relax old man." Zancrow refocused on his target. Shelia was back on her feet a couple yards away from him. Her clothes were burnt and soot covered her gorgeous red hair. She however looked surprisingly well for someone who just took an inferno to the face.

"Damn… I didn't think you had that kind of power…"

"Looks like you learn something new every day." Zancrow knew he could take her easily. He was laid back now and more bored than entertained.

"I'll be sure to not underestimate you again."

"Yes, that would be wise." Zancrow's signature smirk ticked Shelia off.

Immediately she was in close range of Zancrow again. But this time he was ready. He blocked her pathetic attempt of socking him in his ribcage again and counterattacked with a roundhouse kick sending her flying into the air. Zancrow then phased on top of her and brought down both his fists onto her sending her crashing down into the arena below.

The smoke cleared and Zancrow saw Shelia's cheeks bulging with her chest puffed up.

"Sky God, Roar!" Black wind soared towards Zancrow.

'Pathetic. She can't even say the correct incantation.' Zancrow thought. "Flame God Bellow!"

A tempest of fire erupted from the God Slayer's lungs and it collided head on with Shelia's attack. Zancrow's attack eventually overpowered hers forcing her to dodge the approaching flames.

Zancrow was back on the ground. This was taking longer than expected. No way was he going to allow this child tie with him. He would crush her and prove that he was the better God Slayer.

"Wow, you're incredible." Shelia was catching her breath. One of her hair ties were incinerated so half of her hair drooped down while the other remained the same when the battle began. Her blouse was burned even more than before exposing a large portion of her cleavage and stomach.

'God she looks sexy.' Zancrow perished the thought when he imagined Erza beating him senseless for even thinking about another girl.

"Sorry if I was rude before. I was just disappointed that Wendy couldn't make it to our battle. But you have proved just as much of a challenge as I'm sure she would have been. But this isn't over yet."

Zancrow narrowed his eyes and waited for her to make a move.

She immediately assumed a battle stance where both her arms were stretched outwards and swirls of black wind occupied her palms. Zancrow could feel her magic power emanating around her.

"Looks like she's not going to hold back." Mavis stated.

"Seems to me that she realizes the longer she allows Zancrow to plan a counterattack, the worse her chances are of winning." Makarov concurred.

"God Slayer Secret Art,"

'WHAT? This little punk knows how to do a secret art? I don't even know how to do a secret art!' Zancrow thought.

"Heavenly Gathering of Clouds!"

Black wind generated from her arms appeared in the form of stylized feathers and were launched straight towards Zancrow. But he didn't even budge.

"Is he going to take the attack head on?" Mavis asked nervous.

"Don't be stupid Zancrow, get out of the way!" Erza shouted. But her warning fell upon deaf ears. After all, why dodge a meaningless attack?

'No way, is he really just going to let my attack hit him?' Shelia thought.

(BOOM)

There was a big explosion following the secret art collision with the God Slayer and the crowd was silent.

"Is he dead?"

"I think he was disintegrated…"

The crowd argued over the fate of Fairy Tail's Zancrow but Makarov looked at ease.

"Show off…" He said.

Fairy Tail looked as the smoke cleared revealing a flamed up Zancrow. Fans roared from the stands at Zancrow's miraculous survival.

"Impossible… you just took on a secret art full impact and you barely have a scratch on you." Shelia fell to her knees in shock.

"Well, that's not entirely true." Zancrow calmly approached the frightened Sky God Slayer as he wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth. The God Slayer's hair was ruffled and his outfit had some cuts and missing pieces in it. But overall he was fine.

"You didn't do half bad. However when it comes to Lost Magic, mine is much more powerful."

Shelia looked at Zancrow with tears in her eyes and for a moment he pitied her. But this was a competition after all and he was not about to leave empty handed. In one swift motion he struck a blow to the pressure point on her shoulder knocking her unconscious.

"The winner is Zancrow from Fairy Tail!"

Tons of fans cheered for the victor. Lamia Scale was surprised that Shelia was not the only one with God Slaying powers. Over in the Sabertooth booth, Olga was also ticked off that he wasn't the only one who possessed such power. But he hardly seemed nervous at all.


	33. Magic Games: Black Lightning

**CH33: Black Lightning**

'Typical Salamander always running off doing hell knows what. Now because of his negligence I have to fill his place.'

Zancrow was walking around the city of Crocus during the Grand Magic Game's Battle Royale event. All remaining teams were now on the "battlefield" and should any come into contact with one another, the last wizard standing wins and scores points for their guild. It was Fairy Tail, versus Lamia Scale, versus Sabretooth.

The final Fairy Tail team consisted of Laxus, Erza, Grey, Gajeel, and Zancrow. What a force to be reckoned with. Surely nothing would stop Zancrow's guild from snatching first place. He couldn't wait to show up those Sabrepunks. Lamia Scale posed no threat. Aside from Jura, the rest of the team would be easy pickings for any remaining guilds to pick off. Sabretooth however had more powerful adversaries on their team. Honestly Olga's black lightning put him on edge. His magic power level put him on par with Laxus and no one would want to go against him.

'I'd much rather take on Sting or Rogue. Hell, I'll take them both on. If Natsu can do it so can I.'

Zancrow rounded a cornerstone to be greeted with eerie vibrations in the air. He looked at his arms and he realized that his hairs were sticking straight up.

'Static electricity.'

Zancrow glared off into the buildings shadow where a bulky figure walked out with a smirk on his face. This individual had long green hair, had biceps as big as Zancrow's head, and also possessed the power of a god.

"Olga…"

"Hahaha. I wasn't expecting this. I was hoping I would run into Laxus. Surely he would give me a challenge. But I guess you'll do for now. After all, easy points are hard to pass up." Olga mocked Zancrow and cracked his knuckles. His black lightning began to flash around him in an intimidating display of power.

"You're right," Zancrow retorted as his black flames began to surround him like an aura. "I can't turn down an easy win."

"Huh?"

"I'd be a fool if I were to pass up such a pushover. Fairy Tail is about to be a couple points closer to victory." Zancrow smirked as his black flame aura surrounded him. Both God Slayers were about to duke it out and all of Fiore was going to feel the heat of the battle.

…

"This is indeed unexpected folks. Fairy Tail's Zancrow has just crossed paths with Sabretooth's own Olga. Only one will walk away from this battle and only the strongest will survive. Which God Slayer will come out on top. The suspense is killing me!" The announcers verbiage was putting everyone on edge. After all, everyone was dying to know which God Slayer was superior.

…

Both God Slayer's auras were consuming them. As the ground shook and pebbles levitated around them the crowd was silenced in awe. The auras ceased and the pebbles returned to the ground.

"Now that we're done showing off, why don't you show me what kind of power you have. After all, your black lightning should be something to behold."

"Haha. You want a taste? Grit your teeth, because here comes the first strike!" Olga brought his palms close together and he generated a ball of black lightning between them.

"120mm, Black Lightning Cannon!" The attack launched itself at Zancrow with speed so fast it even caught him off guard.

(BOOM)

A nearby building was collapsing due to the massive hole on the side of its foundation. Zancrow had just barely managed to swat away the attack with his bare hands. But he didn't avoid the attack unscathed.

"Damn… my hand." Zancrow looked at his left hand as it pulsed with electricity. "Fuck, that hurt."

"That was pretty impressive." Olga looked somewhat impressed but not nervous. It's almost as if he didn't even think Zancrow could dodge such a powerful attack.

"Usually that attack incinerates whatever it touches."

"Hate to disappoint you." Zancrow raised his right hand and he generated a black ball of flame in his palm.

"Flame God, Explosive Flame!"

(BOOM)

A building behind Olga was mostly turned to ash but the target himself looked unfazed. Olga had some ash in his hair and a few minor burns on his left shoulder but aside from that he was fit as a fiddle. In fact, he looked relieved. Zancrow was not happy.

"Here I was thinking you were harboring some great power. To think I actually considered you worthy of my time. If we're done with the warm ups, I would like to start pounding you into the dirt."

Olga turned into his lightning form and zapped himself in front of Zancrow.

"What the…"

(BAM)

Olga socked the Flame God Slayer in the stomach which sent him into a nearby structure. From the fallen building came a tremendous fireball thousands of degrees hot. Olga quickly got out of the way as the fireball collided with the pavement.

"You'll have to do better than that if you want to stand a chance against me."

(POW)

Olga was sent back a couple of yards as Zancrow managed to kick him in the chest.

'It's like hitting a brick wall.' Zancrow thought.

"Hahaha. Lightning God Bellow!"

Black lightning spurted out from Olga's mouth. Zancrow did his best to dodge the attack however the last of the attack caught up to him. Immediately he felt his entire body become numb as electricity dispersed itself through his entire body. Zancrow barely managed to land on his feet as he tried to gain his balance again.

"Here comes the final blow!" Olga put both his hands together and generated sparks of black lightning that danced between his palms. The sound of thunder echoed throughout the pavilion both combatants were in and the ground shook as Olga charged his attack.

"I call to the gods that their judgement may rain down upon you…"

Zancrow began his counter attack. He put his palms close together and generated a sphere of black flames in-between his hands.

"I ask to scorch all who range from the far west to the far east, O wrath of God…"

"Lightning God…"

"Flame God…"

"Charged Particle Cannon!"

"Kagutsuchi!"

(BOOM)

Buildings crumbled, rubble rained from the sky, and only one God Slayer was left standing.

…

"I don't believe what I'm seeing folks. Olga has emerged from the devastating collision of those attacks almost without injury. But what of Fairy Tail's Zancrow? Will he be able to comeback from a shock like that? Or will Sabretooth add another point to their scoreboard?"

…

"What is this… I can't… move."

Zancrow was on the ground paralyzed due to the electrical charge that hit him head on.

"Damn. I was sure that would finish you off. I'm not used to people surviving my ultimate attacks like that. You really have to stop doing that or I'll lose my credibility as a God Slayer." Olga retorted irked.

Zancrow's body was phasing in and out with positive and negative charges of lighting. It's as if he was the sole lightning rod during a thunderstorm. He could barely move and he had used so much of his magic power at this point any defense against Olga would leave him drained.

"Give up. You can't win against me. My power is on a completely different level."

"Hehe, where have I heard that before?" Zancrow remembered to the first time he encountered Natsu on Tenrou Island. Zancrow powered up and black flames engulfed him. 'Can't believe I'm about to try this. But at this point, what more can I lose?'

"Your time is up." Olga Generated a black lightning sphere in his right hand and prepared to let Zancrow have a taste of it.

"You disgraced your guild. This tournament has revealed what pitiful excuses of wizards you all are. And with my victory today, the world will know true God Slaying magic."

Zancrow's flames were dying out. He was out of magic power and completely vulnerable to attack. He never imagined that Olga would be this powerful.

"Good riddance!"

Black lightning was hurled towards Zancrow.

(ZAP)

The lightning did indeed hit its target. However, instead of dissipating like it should have, it expanded. Suddenly the black lightning swirled around its target like a whirlpool, draining down directly into Zancrow's mouth.

"What the…" Olga was caught completely off guard. "Impossible! A Flame God Slayer shouldn't be able to eat my lightning!"

The remainder of the lightning was downed hungrily by Zancrow.

"BUUUURP. Yuck. Your lightning was gross but I guess I should thank you. I was hoping you would try a dumb stunt like that."

"But how? You couldn't even stand a moment ago!"

Zancrow was back on his feet with a smug grin on his face. He brought his fist close to his face and he generated black flames which were complimented by black lightning. Olga's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"No way…"

"You like that? A little trick I picked up from a guildmate of mine. All that is required is for me to be completely drained of magic power. Then I am able to eat elemental magic other than my own and power up from it."

A burst of power emanated from Zancrow as he powered up into his new lightning form.

"Change mode, Lightning Flame God!"

Black flames consumed him as always, but this time his fire was surrounded by black sparks of lightning, phasing in and out like a thunderstorm.

"You dare steal my power?" Olga charged up two separate orbs of black lightning and shot them towards Zancrow. Both attacks however were easily deflected. All Olga could do was stare in awe at Zancrow's newfound power.

"You were right you know."

"Grr, about what?"

"Today the world will know what true God Slaying magic is. But they are going to learn at your expense."

Zancrow kept amplifying his magic until he was at the pinnacle of his strength.

"Change mode was fun, but it's time to take this to the next level. Haaaaaaa"

(Boom)

A black pillar of light radiated from Zancrow's point of origin and consumed the holographic displays in the arena. For a moment no one could see what was going on. Then the crowd cheered.

From the blinding light Zancrow emerged. He was completely enveloped in a black aura that radiated like the glow of a lacrima. Pulses of purple lightning were phasing in and out like a small thunderstorm around him. His arms were covered in badass tattoos that looked like markings in a different language. But above all, his eyes glowed pure white like that of a god.

"Behold the God Force."


	34. Magic Games: Gloria

**CH34: Gloria**

Fairy tail was taking all of Fiore by storm. No one had expected the guild to last this long in the tournament, let alone make it to the finals. Gray had taken out Rufus in a game of wits, Erza was triumphant over Kagura and Minerva, Gajeel defeated a possessed Rogue, and Laxus actually beat the Wizard Saint Jura. So far the finals were in Fairy Tail's favor.

Then there was Zancrow. After almost suffering a defeat at the hands of Olga, he had made an impressive comeback. Being drained of magic power, Zancrow was able to eat Olga's black lightning and power up into the God Force. The tables have indeed turned.

…

"What… is this? I've never felt power like this before." Olga looked petrified. He had no idea Zancrow harbored such power that could be unlocked if he was backed into a corner.

"You should feel honored." Zancrow said.

"…"

"I rarely use this form. The last time I used it, it was to go toe to toe with Ankhseram."

"Who…"

"Doesn't matter. The important thing to know is this," Zancrow was radiating power and his white glowing eyes were instilling fear into the Black Lightning God Slayer. "I'm going to destroy you. Today, the world will know what true God Slaying magic is."

Olga was furious. Not only did Zancrow use his own power against him, but now he was burning him with his own smart ass remarks.

"Aaaaaaaahhhh!" Olga powered up. There was lightning all around him. Some bolts strayed off and destroyed nearby buildings and others carved up the pavement leaving miniature canyons in their wake.

"It doesn't matter what form you're in. The result will be the same; With me coming out on top."

"Bring it on." Olga propelled himself towards Zancrow with a right hook already on its way towards his face.

(BAM)

Zancrow phased off to the side of Olga and countered with a massive punch to his stomach. Olga got the wind knocked out of him and he could feel his abs recoil in pain. It felt as if his ribcage had been bruised.

(POW)

Zancrow followed up with a knee to the stomach of the already aching Olga sending him flying into some debris of what used to be a house.

"This can't be… I'm one of Sabretooth's strongest wizards. I can't lose to you!"

"Your fate was sealed the moment you challenged me. To think that black lightning could be smoldered by flames so easily. How pathetic."

Olga launched himself from the rubble straight towards Zancrow. He was no longer thinking straight. His anger overtook his sense of reason.

(Crack)

Olga spewed out blood from his mouth as Zancrow collided his fist into his stomach. Judging from the harsh sound it was safe to assume that he now had a few cracked ribs. That was it. Olga's magic power faded as he lost consciousness. Zancrow held him out and dropped him down to earth. His body was spread out across the pavement in defeat and Zancrow could not be more pleased with himself. He proved that he was the top God Slayer in all of Fiore. And the crowd loved it.

From the stands you could hear people going wild. Popcorn buckets were thrown and drinks were spilled. It seems that Zancrow was not the only one who had secured a victory for his team. Although the crowd was loud, no one could beat the ambiance of his guildmates. Makarov was crying tears of joy while Mavis clapped with her head held up high. The remaining members of Fairy Tail were equally as excited. Cana and Lucy were hugging each other while Elfman squeezed his much smaller siblings. After years of being underestimated, Fairy Tail was once again on the road to victory.

There was just one small matter to attend to.

Sting.


	35. Magic Games: Gloria Part 2

**CH35: Gloria Part 2**

Zancrow had just beaten Sabretooth's top muscle head Olga. He was so caught up in the moment it didn't occur to him that the victory bell hadn't sounded. That meant, although Fairy Tail had fought and defeated all of their opponents thus far, there was still someone left out there.

He heard the announcer and realized the last man standing on Sabretooth's end was Sting. Apparently he hadn't fought this whole time. That meant he was fresh and at full strength.

Although he had won, Zancrow knew he had overexerted himself. Feeding off of Olga's lightning was no feeble task and the power boost was indeed just temporary. It was enough to tap into the God Force but Zancrow was now starting to see his form dissipate. He saw his tattoos fading and his black aura was gone within a few minutes. Once he was back to base form, Zancrow felt exhausted.

'Damn. I feel like I got ran over by those chariots Salamander and Gajeel competed on.'

Zancrow walked steadily through the city with hopes of rendezvousing with his team. He knew how hard his battle was and assumed equally powerful challenges were taken on by his guildmates. If that were the case, he knew that none of them would stand a chance against Sting should he hunt them down one by one.

(POP)

Zancrow looked up into the night sky and saw a white Sabretooth crest.

'Sting.' He thought.

That cocky bastard wasn't even trying to hide. He was giving away his position on purpose so that he may attempt to win it all for his guild. As dirty as it was, his strategy was foolproof. It was simple tactics. Let the enemy wear themselves out and then swoop in at full strength and win with no problems.

'Guess there's no way around this situation. Hehe.'

Zancrow made his way up a flight of steps exiting into a narrow corridor. He was about halfway up when he heard a peculiar sound.

(tap)(tap)

The tapping continued and he saw what appeared to be a redhead hobbled over a walking stick.

"Erza!"

He rushed over to her and he wrapped her arm around his shoulders to give her support.

Normally he would say a smartass remark to her to get her angry. But he couldn't help but notice her exhausted state. She was covered in small cuts and bruises and could barely walk. This meant that whoever faced off against Erza was obviously in far worse shape than she was. The last thing Zancrow wanted to do was end up like her opponent.

"Tough fight?"

Erza merely smirked and continued to hobble on Zancrow as they made their way to Sting's location.

…

"Prepare to witness the awakened power of a Dragon Slayer." Sting powered up and he was enveloped in a vortex of white light. Power radiated from his person sending a chilling sensation down the backs of Fairy Tail's members.

Suddenly something consumed the Dragon Slayer's eyes. Was it fear? Was it pity? Whatever it was, he hesitated. He was so cocky a moment ago. And now when he came face to face with the prevailing members of Fairy Tail, he became petrified. He tried to take a step forward but ended up on his knees staring at the ground.

"I can't do it. I can't beat you." Sweat was dropping from every pore of the Dragon Slayer. What was wrong with him?

Zancrow didn't know what was happening. 'Surely he's not intimidated by us? We are exhausted. At this point I could barely manage to conjure up a flame much less achieve my God Force. So why is he…"

"I…surrender."

'Umm, what?' The God Slayer thought.

"IT'S OVER! THE WINNER OF THE GRAND MAGIC GAMES IS FAIRY TAIL!" The announcer shouted.

Fireworks began to bombard the skies as the announcement was made and all of Fairy Tail rejoiced in the stands. Their celebration was complimented with the thousands of cheers coming from the spectators.

'All that noise… is actually quite satisfying.' Zancrow thought. They had won after all. For the first time in seven years. He looked at his teammates. Laxus, Gajeel, and Gray all smirked but at the same time looked relieved. 'Guess they knew none of us had a chance against Sting in this condition.'

Zancrow looked over at Erza who was talking with the Dragon Slayer. 'All that hesitation and fear, over a stupid cat? Who names their cat Lector?' He saw the two reunite. Apparently Minerva was holding the cat hostage in hopes that it would raise Sting's power level. It worked, but the overall objective that the plan tried to complete backfired. 'Sabretooth needs to change the way they do things. You don't threaten… family.'

Zancrow felt a tug on his sleeve and he saw Erza beaming at him.

"Zancrow, we won." Erza had the cutest smile on her. She was a fierce warrior who could kick anyone's ass. But at this moment in time, she looked so vulnerable. She looked like she was going to cry. Not from sadness, but from joy.

"I know, I was there." Zancrow retorted sarcastically.

Erza smacked the God Slayer lightly on the backside of his head with a peeved look but it soon subsided. The odd couple both stared off into the sky as the victory fireworks were going off. Quietly Erza slipped her hand into Zancrow's. A sincere smile appeared on his face as he tightened the hold on her hand.

'Fairy Tail. It changes you.'


End file.
